Shine
by darthelwig
Summary: Carol Danvers and Wanda Maximoff have gone through a lot together, but can they survive the distance life has thrown between them? Sequel to Brave New World.
1. Chapter 1

"Shine"

Chapter One

By Darthelwig

* * *

*** I own nothing. I'm just having fun.***

I've always wanted to come back to this little universe and continue where I left off. I'm finally making the attempt. Fingers crossed.

* * *

Wanda was exhausted, but after a long couple of weeks on mission all she wanted to do was see Carol again. Not being able to speak to her girlfriend for such an extended period of time was painful for both of them, and she needed to see her, to hold her. It was already hard enough that Carol's college schedule kept her busy, she had precious little time for anything other than classes, studying and volleyball, but with Wanda's duties as an Avenger coming between them as well, they hardly saw each other these days. Most of their communication was through phone calls, texting and video chats. It was frustrating, but what else could they do?

Getting into the dorms was child's play. A twist of her fingers could unlock any door, could persuade or distract any person necessary, and she used her power with swift efficiency. She felt a twinge of guilt at using her abilities that way. She'd been trying to be better about that, and the team would be disappointed in her, but all that mattered in the moment was satisfying her need.

She'd been to Carol's dorm room a couple of times before, so she was fairly certain which way she should be going, and she trusted her powers to do the rest, her mind stretching out to seek the comforting pulse of Carol's thoughts.

She knocked on Carol's door, then let herself in, and there was her beautiful lover, asleep in the room's tiny bed. Carol had scored a very small single room, so she had privacy to study when she could fit it in around volleyball practice, a benefit Wanda was glad for. Carol worked hard to keep her scholarship. She deserved to be here. It was everything Carol had always dreamed of, and her girlfriend had blossomed with her newfound freedom. Wanda was extremely proud of her.

She sat gingerly on the edge of the bed and brushed the hair off Carol's face, content to watch her sleep for the moment. The initial desperate urge to be with Carol had passed, satisfied by the very fact of being in her presence, close enough to touch. Even asleep Carol radiated goodness and light, and Wanda let herself enjoy the feeling of simply being with her girlfriend again. A tightness in her chest she hadn't even been fully aware of was loosening with every slow breath Carol took.

She trailed her fingers over Carol's cheek, and Carol pressed her face into the touch, smiling sleepily, eyes still closed but perfectly aware of who was with her.

"Wanda," she murmured. "You're back."

"Shh. Sleep, love." Wanda couldn't help but smile down at her. She loved this girl so much.

"Come to bed." Carol reached for her blindly, still refusing to open her eyes, and Wanda chuckled as she evaded her clutching hands.

"Wait," she said softly. She quickly removed her shoes and jacket and slid under the covers next to her girlfriend, cuddling up close on the tiny mattress. They settled in with Carol's back pressed to Wanda's chest, Wanda's arms wrapped around her in a warm embrace. Wanda sighed happily as Carol relaxed against her, her breathing evening out into sleep once more.

This was exactly what she'd needed. This was everything.

* * *

It was still early when Wanda woke with Carol still safely in her arms, a warm presence she basked in like a cat in sunlight. She pressed a soft kiss to Carol's shoulder where her tank top left her skin bare and tempting.

"G'morning," Carol said sleepily as she pulled Wanda's arms tighter around her. Wanda went willingly, allowing herself to be molded around Carol's form.

"Good morning, my love," she said softly, nuzzling Carol's neck and drawing a breathy moan from her. "I have missed you."

"Mmm. I missed you too. How long can you stay?" Carol flipped over, with great difficulty and nearly dislodging Wanda from her place on the bed, to meet her girlfriend's sad gaze.

"Not long. I am supposed to be at the facility right now," Wanda said, smiling ruefully, "but I needed to see you." She slid her hand under the blankets and over Carol's smooth thigh, toying with the hem of her shorts.

"I'm glad you're here now," Carol said. She leaned in to kiss Wanda, and what started out as a sweet, soft meeting of their lips quickly grew heated and desperate in the face of their mutual need. Wanda pressed her girlfriend back against the bed, her knee sliding between Carol's thighs. She could feel Carol's heat even through the fabric of her pants and Carol's tiny shorts, and the sensual way Carol was moving against her was driving all thought from her head except to take what she was so willingly offering.

Wanda had her girlfriend's shirt off, licking and sucking on her soft, full breasts and neck. Wanda's top was gone as well, pants open and pulled down enough for Carol's hand to slide in, her fingers dipping into Wanda's slick folds and making her moan. She rocked against Carol's hand, needy and wanting, her climax building fast and uncontrollable.

She was almost there, just at the peak and listening to Carol's voice in her ear coaxing her, when another voice came from the doorway. It was like a shock of cold water, and she was up and on her feet, ready for battle, before her mind even caught up with what was happening.

"Oh wow. Sorry I interrupted," the girl standing in the doorway said. She didn't seem sorry to Wanda, but she bit her tongue to see how this played out. She didn't want to offend a friend of Carol's and possibly Carol herself. She glanced at her girlfriend, who had modestly covered her nudity, but seemed completely at ease in this girl's presence.

"It's okay," Carol reassured her, and Wanda sighed. So much for that. Didn't look like they'd be getting back to lovemaking anytime soon. She grabbed her shirt off the floor and pulled it on, glad she'd still been wearing her bra and hadn't been completely exposed to this new friend of Carol's. This was already an embarrassing enough first impression to make.

"Hi. I'm Monica," the girl said,

"Wanda."

"I guess you forgot about our breakfast date," Monica said to Carol, and Wanda's eyebrows shot up. Date?

"Shit. I totally forgot. I'm sorry. I was up late, and then Wanda showed up..." Carol smiled sheepishly, and Wanda suddenly didn't know what to do. Her girlfriend was having breakfast dates with someone else? Had she interrupted something?

"I apologize for interrupting your... date plans." She zipped her pants and brushed her fingers through her hair in what she was sure was a vain attempt to look presentable. "I should go."

The new girl, Monica, looked almost smug for the briefest second, but Wanda stamped down her anger. Carol wanted to spend time with this girl. She had every right to spend time with whoever she wished. Wanda had no right to complain, especially not when she'd been so absent from Carol's life lately.

"You don't need to go," Carol said, reaching out for her. Wanda took her hand and gently squeezed.

"You wish me to stay?" she asked, unable to hold back the hint of surprise in her voice, but she stretched her senses out and could feel Carol's desire for her to remain.

"Of course I do," Carol said, sounding needy and vulnerable. It melted the cold that had lodged itself in her heart, and she smiled softly at her girlfriend.

"Okay. We will go have breakfast with Monica. I hope you do not mind," she said to the other girl, not caring if she minded in the slightest. Or maybe she wanted Monica to care and be a little upset. Just a little. She wouldn't admit it, though.

"Not at all! The more the merrier," Monica said, all bright smile and warmth that Wanda didn't believe for a moment.

"Give me five minutes to get dressed," Carol said, and Monica left them alone, _finally_ , closing the door behind her.

"Ten minutes. I wish to finish what we started," Wanda said, her voice nearly a growl. She pulled the sheets aside and hopped back on the bed, easily slipping between Carol's legs.

"You think you can finish us both off in five minutes?" Carol laughed.

" _Yes_ ," she said, a touch of red in her eyes, and wasted no time in pulling Carol's shorts down and shoving her knees up against her chest to expose her sweet center to Wanda's hungry gaze. Carol gasped at Wanda's rough handling, blushed as she lay exposed in such a wanton manner. "I am going to feel everything I do to you, my love. I am going to bring us both pleasure."

Carol's breathing had sped up, and Wanda could see how wet she was becoming already. This would take no time at all.

"Come for me, darling," she breathed. The sound of Carol's moan as she sank her tongue into her sex was everything Wanda could've asked for.


	2. Chapter 2

"Shine"

Chapter Two

By Darthelwig

* * *

*** I own nothing. I'm just having fun. ***

* * *

Carol grabbed Wanda's hand as they took a seat at a table outside a small coffeehouse nearby. Wanda seemed twitchy, and she couldn't tell if it was leftover from the mission she'd been on or something she had done. Wanda didn't seem upset with her, though, so she chalked it up to her girlfriend getting far too little sleep.

She worried about that a lot. Wanda's duties as an Avenger were important and she took them seriously, and Carol didn't know how Wanda made time for her on top of everything else. It seemed entirely unfair. She had class and volleyball, while Wanda had daily combat and tactics training and missions that lasted sometimes days at a time. And then Wanda was always the one who made the trip to see her, since she wasn't really allowed to be at the Avengers compound, the location being just a tiny bit classified and all.

She threaded her fingers through Wanda's, just enjoying having her near. Wanda's eyes met hers, a green so beautiful she could get lost in her lover's gaze.

"Okay. Latte, latte, tea," Monica said, startling Carol out of her daze. Carol grabbed one of the muffins Monica had also set on the table and was a few bites in before she realized they were staring at her.

"What? I'm starving. I missed dinner yesterday," she said defensively. Monica laughed, but Wanda brought a hand to her face and stroked gentle fingers over her cheek.

"You must take care of yourself, my love."

"It's one meal. I'm not starving myself, Wanda. Trust me." She hadn't meant to sound harsh, but Wanda pulled her hand away and took a sip of her tea, eyes down. Guilt nagged at her, but Carol didn't want to get into this in front of Monica, so she held her tongue.

They sat there in awkward silence until Monica spoke up again.

"So, Wanda, Carol tells me you're not in college, but she's pretty tight lipped about everything else. What do you do?"

"I am in private security," Wanda said. "It involves a lot of travel, so I am not able to be here as much as I would like."

"That's too bad," Monica said. "I don't know how you guys make it work."

Sometimes Carol really didn't know either.

"I love her," Wanda said, as if it was just that simple. And maybe it was. The words warmed Carol's heart.

"I love you too, babe," Carol said, bringing Wanda's fingers to her lips for a soft kiss. Heat flared between them as it always did, coiling low in her belly. She could see an answering heat in Wanda's gaze. No matter that they'd both come hard not twenty minutes ago. The passion between them never seemed to cool.

"You look kinda familiar," Monica said, breaking the spell. Carol blushed furiously at being so obviously aroused in front of Monica. Hell, she could feel the overly-sensitive, diamond-hard points of her nipples brushing her shirt, and she wished she'd taken the time to put on a bra. Wanda just looked smug, damn her.

"I do not believe we have met before," Wanda said to Monica.

"No, no. It's not that. But I'd swear I've seen you before." Monica was squinting at her, obviously thinking hard, and Carol gulped. Wanda's identity as an Avenger hadn't been released yet. She and Pietro were still new and unknown, and the team wanted to keep it that way for a little while longer. There was no possible way Carol had screwed this up, right?

Wanda smiled politely and sipped her tea. "You must have me confused with someone else," she said finally. "It is an easy mistake to make."

"I hate when I can't place someone. It'll come to me eventually," Monica assured her.

"I am sure it will," Wanda said, sounding completely unconcerned.

"When do you have to leave?" Carol asked, changing the topic. Wanda frowned.

"Soon," Wanda replied unhappily. Carol scooted her chair closer and rested her head on her girlfriend's shoulder.

"Then let me enjoy you right now," she said softly, running her fingers through Wanda's long, soft hair. She grinned when Wanda tore a piece off her muffin and held it to her lips. "Thanks, babe," she said as she chewed contentedly.

Yeah, sometimes being with Wanda was hard, but sometimes it was perfect.


	3. Chapter 3

"Shine"

Chapter Three

By Darthelwig

* * *

*** I own nothing. I'm just having fun. ***

* * *

Pietro gave Peter a lingering kiss as he pulled on his jacket.

"You must let me go," he murmured against Peter's lips. Peter's response was to pull him close and kiss him harder, and he couldn't really argue with that, now could he? He let himself be lost in his boyfriend's kiss.

He'd never imagined he could or would ever find a life like this, free of the anger that had plagued him for so long, free to find love and enjoy life for the first time since he was ten years old. A near-death experience made you reevaluate things, and he was happier now than he'd ever been.

"I really must go," he said, finally pulling away, a bit breathless. "Wanda is waiting for me."

"Well, if Wanda's waiting, okay then," Peter said with a laugh. "Make sure you call me when you get home."

"I will," Pietro promised, trying not to let the prick of guilt he felt show in his face. The only thing he couldn't share with Peter was that he was an Avenger. Not yet, anyway. Soon, he always told himself. As soon as he got the okay from Captain Rogers, he would tell Peter he wasn't really working a "normal" job.

"Love you," he said as he gave Peter a quick kiss on his way out the door.

"Love you too," Peter called after him.

Pietro jogged down the stairs of Peter's apartment building and out onto the street. Ducking into an alley, he took a quick glance around to make sure no one was watching, and then he was running. _Really_ running.

It felt so good to stretch his legs, to let himself feel his power flowing through his limbs. He had to keep a tight reign on it with Peter, who still didn't know about his enhancements, and it felt so good to embrace his powers again.

Good enough where he didn't take the straightest route to his sister. He wound through streets and alleyways, around cars and pedestrians, a faint silver blur too fast to be noticed by the busy crowds of New York. It felt amazing. It felt _right_.

He felt Wanda before he saw her, as he usually did. She silently beckoned him forward, and he made sure to approach from behind.

"Carol!" he yelled as he darted forward and wrapped her in a hug. She nearly jumped out of her skin and slapped him wherever she could reach him, but he wasn't stupid enough to give her much leeway with that. He held her tightly.

"Oh my god, Pietro! What the hell?"

He laughed and gave her a loud kiss on the head before releasing her to greet Wanda with a much more mannerly kiss to the forehead. Carol glared at him, but he just pulled an empty chair over and plopped down as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"So who is this?" he asked, tilting his head at the new girl.

"Pietro, meet Monica. Monica, this is Wanda's brother, Pietro." Carol still sounded disgruntled. Good. That was a good start to his day. Unfortunately, he could see the tension in his sister's shoulders, in her eyes, and his gaze flickered over Monica as he wondered what made his sister so uncomfortable. She was normally happiest when she was with Carol.

"Hello," Pietro said casually.

"Nice to meet you." Monica sounded cheerful and friendly enough, but Pietro noted how often her eyes lingered over Carol, and he frowned.

"So how do you know Carol?" he asked, stealing a sip of his sister's tea and watching the girl carefully.

"We're on the volleyball team together," Monica replied.

"Monica is my workout buddy," Carol said happily. She seemed completely oblivious to the way Monica was looking at her, letting Wanda feed her a muffin and cuddling her arm. "She puts up with my horrible habits and helps me study, too."

"She is a regular saint," Pietro said wryly. Carol wrinkled her nose at him, and he laughed. He looked at his sister apologetically. "We have to go, Wanda."

"I wish you could stay longer," Carol said as Wanda pressed a kiss to her lips.

"As do I," Wanda said softly. The longing in her voice squeezed at Pietro's heart. His sister should never have to feel this way. Peter's internship didn't interfere with their time together nearly as much as volleyball, school, and Avenging did Wanda and Carol's. And Wanda was just needier, lonelier without Carol, than he had ever been.

It was with regret that he took his sister's hand and guided her away from where she really wanted to be. Wanda clutched his hand tightly but said nothing, so he filled the silence with chatter until they reached a place where he could scoop Wanda into his arms and run them back to the Avengers base.


	4. Chapter 4

"Shine"

Chapter Four

By Darthelwig

* * *

*** I own nothing. I'm just having fun. ***

* * *

She knew it was going to be bad when Steve gestured her into his office, stony-faced. Pietro gave her a concerned look before she waved him off and went to face the music.

"Wanda, where the hell have you been?" Steve demanded. She was taken aback for a moment by his language, unusual for him, but she'd had a stressful morning and wasn't ready to take any more.

"Out," she said coldly. Steve's jaw clenched, but he simply folded his arms over his chest and stared at her.

"As your team leader, I need to know if you're going somewhere. You can't just disappear," he said.

"Am I a prisoner?" Wanda asked, raising her voice. "Am I not to be trusted? Am I a _child_? You sent us to school. We did what you asked. I am an adult now and can do as I please."

"It's not about being an adult. It's about being responsible. I'm responsible for you, and I need to know if you're okay. You can't just drop out of sight!"

"Pietro could have told you where I was. You know this," she replied, exasperated. She was holding her temper together by a thread.

" _Pietro_ let us know he was going to visit Peter," Steve said, and his rationality angered her even more, made her feel even smaller than she felt already. Too irresponsible for the Avengers, too full of responsibilities for Carol. She couldn't win. She sighed, all the fight going out of her.

"I was tired," she said, sounding old to her own ears. "I was not thinking. I apologize."

Steve stared at her, but that was all she had to offer. She could make no excuses. Carol wouldn't have. Carol would've accepted her mistake and changed things for the better.

But she wasn't good like Carol.

She didn't know what Steve saw in her, but he suddenly softened, losing his authoritative posture.

"We care about you, Wanda. We just need to know you're safe." He sounded too kind now, too understanding. She couldn't take this.

"May I go now?" she asked, desperate to escape this conversation.

"Yeah. But don't let this happen again," Steve said, nodding. Wanda bowed her head in acknowledgment and sought the safety of her room. She locked the door behind her, leaning back on it and taking deep breaths in an attempt to control her raging emotions.

She shouldn't be so upset Carol had a friend. She shouldn't. But that girl wanted to be more than a friend, and Carol couldn't be so blind, could she? She had to know. And if she knew, she must welcome the attention. Attention Wanda couldn't give her.

Wanda felt the distance between them growing, as Carol found new friends and new interests. She was growing and blossoming into a strong, capable woman, and Wanda couldn't be more proud, but did Carol even need her anymore?

She had her doubts.

She should ask, but she was so terrified to talk to Carol about this, to maybe find out that her fears were true. And how fair would that be to Carol anyway? She didn't want to pressure her or put her fears and pain on Carol's shoulders. She shouldn't have to deal with Wanda's issues. Carol should focus on her own life, her studies and finding her place in the world now that she was completely free to do so.

Wanda didn't want to hold her back. She didn't want to be the weight around Carol's neck that stopped her from embracing everything life had to offer. Carol deserved to have it all.

Her heart ached, a physical pain in her chest. She wished Pietro was there to hold her, but again, he was someone who deserved all that life had to offer. He was changed now. With his bitterness gone, he'd found peace and happiness with Peter. She couldn't put this on him, couldn't drag him back into the darkness she lived in.

Tears flooded her eyes. She tried to force them back, to no avail. They poured down her cheeks in rivers of pain and loneliness. Choking back her sobs, she lay in her bed and hugged a pillow to her chest trying to imagine it was Carol there, her warmth and light seeping into Wanda's very bones.

Her imagination wasn't nearly good enough.


	5. Chapter 5

"Shine"

Chapter Five

By darthelwig

* * *

*** I own nothing. I'm just having fun. ***

* * *

Carol sat down hard on a bench and wiped the sweat from her face on a towel as she caught her breath. Practice was great, but she really needed to be getting more sleep than she was. She'd stayed up late the night before talking to Wanda, and she didn't regret it, but she did wish the night had been about eight hours longer than it was.

Speaking of Wanda... She dug around in her bag to find her phone and was pleased to see a couple of texts from her girlfriend. She couldn't help blushing when she read them. Wanda was never shy about things like sex, though the softer sentiments could make her blush, and it seemed like her sex drive had ramped up ever since their last visit. Carol wasn't complaining. Hell no. But damn if her girlfriend didn't make her blush sometimes.

She was startled when her phone rang, but grinned when she saw who the caller was.

"Jess! How's it going?" she asked.

" _I did it. I'm graduating from this stupid academy and I'll officially be a member of our quaint little town's police force."_

"I knew you could do it. I told you."

" _It's not nice to say 'I told you so'. Didn't anyone ever teach you that?"_ Jessica asked, sounding less annoyed than she was probably trying to. Carol couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up from the warmth in her chest.

"Apparently I'm an uncultured, unmannered swine." Carol listened to Jess' laugh. She sounded carefree and happy and everything Carol wished she could be.

" _I want you to come to graduation. I'm inviting Peter too. Feel free to bring your plus-ones."_

"When is it?"

" _Next weekend. You've gotta come, Carol. I know you said you didn't want to come back here, but please?"_

"Of course I'll come," Carol said, hating that Jess felt she even had to say that. She'd do anything for the girl who'd been her best friend all her life and supported her through every crazy thing that she'd gone through. "Fuck my parents. I'm not missing this just because of them."

" _Thanks,"_ Jess said, obviously relieved. " _I'll text you all the info, okay?"_

"Sounds good. I just got out of practice. I've gotta shower, but I'll check it out later. And Jess? I'll be there. I promise." Nothing could keep her away from an event this big. She was so proud of Jessica she could burst.

" _Later. Say hi to Wanda for me."_

"I will."

They disconnected the call and Carol took a moment to text Wanda back with the good news and an invitation to join her at graduation. She really hoped Wanda would be able to go. Despite what she'd said to Jess, she really wasn't comfortable going back "home" again and possibly having to see her parents. It was a fairly small town, after all. Just the thought of it made her skin crawl. Their last interaction had been so horrible.

It was after she'd come out to them and then run to the safety of Wanda when they'd rejected her. She'd wanted to go back for some of her things. Clothes, books, her damn toothbrush. She'd walked out without anything after their confrontation, just the clothes on her back and a heart full of grief. She'd intended to go back when no one was home.

Which she had managed for all of twenty minutes. Then her parents found her in her bedroom and all hell broke loose. She remembered the way her father screamed at her, the way he yelled at her mother to call the cops because she was breaking and entering, trespassing, stealing, _something_. He didn't care what.

Wanda and Pietro had been with her, had held on to their tempers admirably while all that was happening, but when her father raised his hand, they'd had enough. Pietro raced forward in the blink of an eye and caught his fist, stopped him cold just as he'd stopped Simon from striking her all those months ago, and her father was suddenly screaming even louder and red in the face. " _Freaks. Monsters."_

She'd regretted ever going there.

They left quickly, carrying what little Carol had been able to grab, and she'd never gone back, never tried to see them again. She had no desire to. They'd made it abundantly clear where they stood, and she was never going to fit their box again. It hadn't ever been a comfortable fit to begin with.

Her phone chimed at her, and she saw it was from Wanda.

" _I'll be there."_

Carol took a deep, cleansing breath and smiled. This was going to be awesome.


	6. Chapter 6

"Shine"

Chapter Six

By darthelwig

* * *

*** I own nothing. I'm just having fun. ***

* * *

Pietro threw himself on his sister's bed and waited for her to emerge from the shower. Wanda grimaced when she saw him there and waved him away, which he ignored.

"Get off my bed, Pietro. You are filthy."

"I am sweaty, not filthy, and look. I am already drying off. You have seen me look worse, Wanda," he said teasingly. She rolled her eyes and he grinned.

"Jessica is graduating from her police academy. Carol invited me. She says Peter will be inviting you." She grabbed her brush and Pietro motioned for her to hand it over. He sat up as she settled on the bed so he could work the brush through her hair. He'd always loved caring for Wanda in this way. It relaxed them both.

"Has she stopped seeing that teacher yet?" he asked.

"I did not think to ask," Wanda replied. He gently worked out a tangle with his fingers.

"I think I will enjoy embarrassing Jessica with my enthusiasm." He chuckled darkly, and Wanda laughed along with him. It was good to hear her laugh again. He wondered if she realized how little she laughed these days.

"We need to request the time off." Wanda sighed. "Steve will not be happy. He is already unhappy with me."

"Steve will understand," he said soothingly.

"If you say so," she said bitterly.

"Trust me, sister. I will talk to him." Pietro ran the brush through her hair with even strokes, trying to coax the tension from her muscles. "You have been very unhappy. I thought I would wait, that you would come to me, but instead you avoid me. Talk to me, Wanda. Let me help you. We have always shared everything before." He let the hurt he'd been feeling show in his voice. How could he not have noticed the changes in her? Did she think he was blind?

Wanda sighed heavily. "I did not want to worry you."

"I worry more when I do not know what is wrong. Tell me," he said firmly. She was quiet for a long time, but he waited patiently, knowing she was wrestling with herself. He kept brushing her hair gently, silently encouraging her to trust him, silently telling her he loved her.

Finally, she turned around and Pietro's heart broke at the misery in his little sister's eyes.

"I think I am losing Carol," she said, grief thick in her voice.

"That is crazy. She loves you," he told her, but she shook her head.

"I know. But she does not need me anymore, and I am never there for her. We hardly see each other, and when we do one or both of us is tired. She has so much in her life now, and my responsibilities pull me away. Why would she stay? She could find someone closer, someone better, perhaps someone who would be better for her than I could ever be."

Pietro stared at Wanda for a moment, shocked by the words and emotion that seemed to just flood out of her. He kicked himself for not seeing sooner how much she'd been holding back.

He reached out to caress her face, her eyes wide in fear and pleading and despair. There were no tears, not yet, but he could see her trembling.

"Oh, Wanda," he said softly. "Carol adores you. I see it on her face when she looks at you. She would never leave you."

 _"You don't know that,"_ she said, slipping into Sokovian.

 _"You're wrong, sister. Why are you so sure that she'll leave you? Where is this coming from?"_ Pietro didn't understand it. Their relationship seemed so solid in the beginning, and for the longest time. Did he miss something?

 _"Because I'm not a good person, Pietro! And she is! God, she is, and she deserves so much better than me."_

The tears came then, great, heaving sobs that rocked her entire body. Pietro grabbed her, held her as tightly as he could and whispered soothing sounds in her ear.

 _"It's okay, sister. It's okay. I have you. It's okay."_ He repeated that litany until she began to quiet, her sobs easing. _"You're the best person I know, Wanda. You always have been. We've both made mistakes, but that doesn't make either of us evil or irredeemable. Carol could never see you that way. You're a hero to her, sister. You're a hero to me. You're too hard on yourself."_ Pietro pulled back to make her look into his eyes, trying to make her understand how serious he was. _"Would you say these things about me?"_ he asked, already knowing the answer. She shook her head, and he smiled. _"Then you can't say them about yourself. We have been in this together from the beginning. We are both responsible."_

Wanda didn't look like she agreed with him, but she nodded anyway. Her eyes dropped to the floor.

 _"I miss her so much, Pietro."_

 _"I know, Wanda. We'll figure something out. I promise."_ He would find a way to help her. He'd never broken a promise to his sister before, and he didn't intend to start now.

* * *

"Captain Rogers," Pietro said uncertainly. Their leader looked up at him from his seat at his desk and offered a smile.

"What can I do for you, Pietro?" he asked.

"I need to talk to you about Wanda." He watched Steve's face sour a bit, and his hackles went up before he forced himself to be calm. Losing his temper in defense of his sister would get him nowhere.

"Have a seat," Steve said as he gestured to one of the chairs. Pietro tried to look slightly more confident as he sat, but wasn't sure if he was entirely successful. The words he'd rehearsed so carefully before coming here seemed silly now, and Captain Rogers waited patiently as he searched for a place to begin.

"Wanda needs more time off," he ended up blurting out.

Steve looked unsurprised but displeased.

"And why isn't Wanda the one talking to me about this?" he asked.

"Sometimes I know what my sister needs better than she does," Pietro said simply.

"Look, Pietro. I know what this is about. None of us want to see Wanda hurting, but you two are the very ones who pushed to be on the team as fast as possible. You wanted to make a difference. And you've both become important members _of_ the team. I know Wanda has a girlfriend, but she needs to decide which is more important."

Pietro stared at Captain Rogers in disbelief.

"You have been waiting to say that for a long time," he said harshly, and Steve at least had the good grace to look guilty, if only for a moment.

"Wanda's been falling down on her responsibilities here. She runs off without telling anyone where she's going, she's moody and sometimes downright hostile when we try to talk to her about it. She's acting like a sullen teenager. We thought you both would benefit from having some time as regular teens, but instead it seems just the opposite."

"You have no idea what you are talking about," Pietro said, fists clenched and anger burning hot in his gut. "My sister takes all of this seriously. That is part of the problem. Her heart is in two places, and so she feels she fails them both, the Avengers _and_ Carol, because she cannot completely commit to one or the other. And I would never ask her to. Anyone who would ask her to give up something she cares about is not someone worthy of our time," Pietro said, hoping the Captain got his point. From the look on his face, he judged himself successful.

"You must understand," Pietro said, trying to reign in his temper again. "Wanda's power is tied to her emotions, and she cannot turn it off."

"We know that much. She's stronger the stronger her emotions are."

"No," Pietro said sharply. "That is only part of it." He sighed and sent a silent apology to his sister for talking about this. "Imagine having the pressure of people's minds around you all day, every day. Imagine knowing what they think about you. Imagine coming here after what happened with Ultron and being surrounded by people who know who you are, what you did, that you helped a robot nearly destroy the world. Imagine you do not want to listen, but the pressure is too much and you cannot help but hear. Imagine hearing what they think of you _every day_." He took a deep breath.

"Now imagine there is someone who loves you more than anything, who relies on you and has faced down her fear of you to accept you for who and what you are. Imagine how badly you would want to see that person. Imagine how much you _need_ them. _That_ is my sister," Pietro said. "You do not get to judge her. She is doing the best that she can. I believe in her even if you do not."

Captain Rogers' face was thoughtful, and Pietro hoped he had finally gotten through.

"Alright," he said, finally. "We'll try giving Wanda a little time off from training and see how it goes."

Pietro grinned. "Excellent."


	7. Chapter 7

"Shine"

Chapter Seven

By darthelwig

* * *

*** I own nothing. I'm just having fun. ***

* * *

Wanda destroyed another training dummy with a blast of energy and stopped to catch her breath. She'd been in the simulation room for nearly an hour already and she still felt no better. Tension ate at her, her guilt and depression and worries over Carol dragged at her shoulders, like stones around her neck.

She wondered what Carol was doing right now. Probably sitting in class, or maybe drinking one of those coffees she liked while she studied. She wondered if she should send her a picture. Carol liked her sweaty and flushed. She decided against it, though. It seemed like lately sex was the only thing that made her feel comfortable and confident with her place in Carol's life, and she couldn't keep feeding into that. It wasn't right or healthy for either of them, and Carol would be horrified if she knew.

SHIELD agents, scientists, technicians and others moved throughout the facility, a dull thrum in the back of her mind. The observation deck, while technically off limits to lower level personnel, was a draw to many while she was in here, and she could feel their keen interest without even trying. Interest and judgment. While some had decided the Maximoff twins were a good addition to the team and to be applauded for their assistance in Sokovia, a great many more were angered, repulsed and disgusted by them for their entire role in the affair. She had no idea how the details had spread, but she couldn't blame them for how they felt. She felt that way herself sometimes. If she were truly honest with herself, she felt that way a lot. More and more as time went on, as they were treated with fairness and respect by the very people they had tried to destroy.

She wished she could be more like Pietro and just accept the things she couldn't change. Yes, they had made mistakes. Yes, they were hated by many people. But things were better for them than they had ever been before, and she should be grateful for that. And she very much was. But it wasn't enough for her. Perhaps she was just impossible to please. Perhaps she wanted too much.

She sighed and reset the room once more. At least she could do this. She could train and become better, stronger, more useful to the team. She could dedicate her time to becoming a better Avenger. Practice makes perfect. Wasn't that the saying?

A rush of wind alerted her to Pietro's arrival, and she halted the sequence to see what he wanted. He stopped in front of her with a huge grin on his face.

"I have excellent news, sister!"

"What is it, Pietro? I am training." Her brother looked too pleased with himself. That could mean nothing good.

"I can see that," he replied. "You train too much. You work too hard. The Captain has agreed to give you a break, so _we_ get to go to Jessica's graduation."

Wanda's eyes widened. "He agreed?" she asked. Pietro rolled his eyes at her.

"Of course he agreed. I had to explain the problem you are having, though. He needed to know."

Wanda could feel her face grow hot with embarrassment, but Pietro wrapped his arms around her with complete disregard for how sweaty she was, and she took comfort in his embrace. Her brother's arms were strong and sure, and she let his strength suffuse her. She wanted to be angry with him for talking about her issues with Steve, but she just couldn't be. He had done what he thought was right in order to help her, and she could never fault him for that. Especially when it had worked so well.

"Thank you, Pietro," she said softly. He buried his face in her hair and she felt his breath on her neck, warm and familiar and comforting.

"Anything for you, sister. I will always take care of you."

"I know," she said sweetly, the voices in her mind quiet for once as she focused on her brother and his quiet devotion.

* * *

Wanda held Carol's hand as they walked up the Barton's porch steps. It felt like forever since she'd been here last, and she hadn't realized how much she'd missed it until she'd seen it again. The peace of the farm permeated everything, and she let it soak into her skin, a healing balm.

Lila met them at the front door with hugs and smiles, yelling for her parents that they had arrived. Pietro and Peter carries the bags in from the car. They'd had to take regular modes of transportation to get there since Peter had come along. She had offered to help but Pietro just waved her off. She suspected he was trying to avoid being strangled by one of Lila's enthusiastic hugs.

Cooper's greeting was just as happy, if more controlled than his rambunctious sister's, and Wanda was amazed by how much both of them had grown in such a short amount of time. It was a bit sad knowing she was missing out on things. She'd grown rather close to the Bartons while they'd last stayed here, and she loved them all.

Laura and Clint came out of the kitchen as Pietro scooped Lila up, making her giggle. She was a bit too big for it now, but neither of them seemed to care, and Peter was smiling at her brother completely besotted.

"Hey, kid. Welcome back," Clint said as he hugged her. It felt natural and right to be there, in his arms. And when Laura stepped up to hug her, it felt like coming home. She melted into the woman's warm embrace and tears prickled at her eyelids, but she held them back through sheer force of will. She wasn't going to spoil this moment.

Wanda wasn't ready to let go, but Laura pulled away to greet Carol and the rest, so she reluctantly released her. Seeing smiles on the faces of the people she now considered family warmed her and cut through some of the pain that had surrounded her heart for too long now. This was the place they were accepted, where they were loved, with people who valued them for who they were rather than what they could do. She was safe here. _They_ were safe. And she felt the tension in her spine start to melt away. Maybe this trip was exactly what she needed.

Wanda took a deep breath, tangled her fingers in Carol's, and let it go.


	8. Chapter 8

"Shine"

Chapter Eight

By darthelwig

* * *

*** I own nothing. I'm just having fun. ***

* * *

Carol woke to early morning sunshine and birdsong. The house was still quiet, peaceful. She turned her head and her breath caught at the sight of Wanda on her stomach next to her, her face smooth and relaxed in slumber, sunlight glinting in her dark hair. It had been too long since she'd woken like this, with her girlfriend snug beside her, comfortable in knowing she wouldn't need to go.

She couldn't resist trailing her fingers over Wanda's bare shoulder and over the side of her breast. Avengers training had honed her body, but she was still so soft, so irresistible. She pressed a kiss to Wanda's shoulder and let her hand wander under the blanket, exploring the lines of her girlfriend's beautiful body. Wanda moaned and stretched under her touch.

"You are naughty," Wanda said sleepily, eyes still closed but a smile on her lips.

"I've missed you," Carol replied softly. Wanda opened her eyes and their gazes met, and Carol melted at the depth of affection and plain need in Wanda's eyes. Wanda leaned into her painfully slowly, bringing their lips together with gentle, almost feather-light kisses.

Carol let herself enjoy the softness of Wanda's lips against her own until the heat in her belly grew too much to ignore. She licked at Wanda's lips and moaned when she let her in, giving way before Carol's plundering tongue. She kissed her greedily, taking everything Wanda so eagerly offered up, then demanding more. Harder, softer, deeper, sweeter... she kissed Wanda in every way she'd been dreaming of for so long, and Wanda met her with equal enthusiasm, equal desire.

Carol rolled Wanda over as they kissed, kicked the blanket off and tugged at their clothes until they were both naked and writhing.

"God, I've missed you," Carol breathed as her lips trailed the sensitive skin of Wanda's neck. She slid her leg up, knee bent and thigh pressing against her girlfriend's wet heat, and moaned as Wanda ground down against her. "Fuck, babe. You feel so good," she whispered.

"Fuck me, Carol." Wanda's voice was desperate and thready, her need a palpable thing, and Carol sucked in a breath as Wanda's nails scraped down her back until her girlfriend's hands were grasping her ass and pulling her close.

Carol rolled her hips, dragging her clit along Wanda's smooth thigh, and listened to her lover take a deep, slow, whining breath. A slight repositioning and sharp jerk of her hips made Wanda gasp and clutch at her even tighter, nails digging painfully into Carol's flesh. She moaned at the sharp bite of pain. She'd be marked for days, she knew, and the knowledge sent a delicious shiver up her spine.

"I've missed you," she whispered into Wanda's ear as she rolled her hips again. "I always miss you. I touch myself thinking about your fingers, your mouth." Wanda moaned, and Carol kissed her softly below her ear, following the line of her jaw. A sharp nip to Wanda's skin dragged a growl from her throat, and then she was flipping Carol onto her back, lining herself up and grinding down onto Carol's wet cunt.

Wanda rode her hard and fast, their pleasure cresting quickly until they tumbled over the peak together. Fuck the noise. Fuck the possible embarrassment later. She cried out Wanda's name as her orgasm washed over her fierce and wild, her lover's loud, stuttering moans the most beautiful sound.

They fucked each other all the way to the end, until Wanda collapsed against her, trembling and weak, but the ache between Carol's legs demanded more. She slipped a hand down between them and into Wanda's slick folds, teasing her clit. Wanda moaned.

"I can't," she said breathlessly.

"You can," Carol replied, her voice deep and hoarse with desire, her want growing with every moment. And she knew she was right. Wanda's hips were already moving, rubbing her swollen clit against Carol's fingers, reaching for more.

Carol gasped as Wanda's own fingers sank into her, and they worked each other in perfect harmony until Wanda came, sudden and hot and soaking Carol's hand even more. She kissed her to mute her cries, but Wanda was bucking against her, fingers now hammering at Carol's cunt, and it was all Carol could do to keep their lips locked as she joined Wanda in ecstasy.

"Oh god. Oh god," she muttered mindlessly as she returned to earth, mind slowly clearing from the haze of pleasure. "So good, babe." She stroked Wanda's hair as the girl lay bonelessly atop her.

"I love you," she heard Wanda whisper.

"I love you too," she said softly, and nothing had ever been more true.

* * *

Clint glared at them as they came downstairs later.

"Next time, _keep it down_ ," he hissed.

"Sir, yes sir," Carol said, giving him a sloppy salute. If looks could kill, she'd be a pile of ashes. She couldn't bring herself to regret it, not even if the kids, who she knew slept like the dead anyway, had heard them. She and Wanda had both needed it.

Clint rolled his eyes and continued to glare.


	9. Chapter 9

"Shine"

Chapter Nine

by darthelwig

* * *

*** I own nothing. I'm just having fun. ***

* * *

Peter couldn't look at either Wanda or Carol. Pietro found it completely adorable how his boyfriend avoided looking at them while they all ate breakfast in uncomfortable silence. Well, uncomfortable for them. He was doing just fine, thank you very much. He'd gotten over that sort of squeamishness a long time ago, listening to his sister try to come quietly with a lover while he played lookout and watched her back as he always did. He would never stray far from his sister for any reason while they were on the streets of Sokovia, not even for sex.

So hearing her fuck Carol didn't phase him, but Peter's face was a bright red that seemed to be bordering on unhealthy. It really was adorable.

Unfortunately, he didn't have time to make the most of the situation, as they needed to get ready for Jessica's ceremony. He did let himself linger to watch Peter dress, though. How was a man supposed to resist that sort of temptation? Honestly. He lounged on his bed as he watched Peter pull on a fresh shirt and start buttoning it up.

"You could leave that off. I am sure no one would mind," he said, leering. Peter blushed and gave Pietro that stern look that he liked so much, the one that turned him on every time.

"Don't even start," Peter warned. "We aren't gonna be late for this. Jess would kill me, and I don't want to miss a minute. I'm gonna write a piece on it for the local paper." Pietro was suitably impressed.

"They asked you to do this?" he asked. "That is very good."

"Well, I know some people there, and when they heard I was coming they kinda hit me up about it. I guess I'm big news now that I'm interning in a 'big city' at a major newspaper," Peter said slightly ruefully. Pietro slid to the edge of the bed and caught Peter's hand in his own.

"You are important and talented, and should be big news no matter what you are doing," he said honestly. "I am proud to be with you." Peter seemed touched and a bit speechless, and Pietro pressed a firm kiss to his knuckles. "You will do great things, Peter. I believe this."

"Smooth," Peter said lightly, though his face was serious. "You know I love you, right?"

"Of course you do," Pietro said haughtily. "How could you not?"

Peter laughed, and Pietro pulled him down for a kiss.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, they were out the door and on their way. It wasn't a long drive to town, but it seemed to drag on and on. Normal transportation tended to seem that way to him nowadays, though, since the experiments. His speed was great and all, but it did change the way one looked at the world. It was only after he'd nearly died in the battle with Ultron that he'd started to reevaluate his life and decided to slow down and really experience things again.

Life was so much better now. Still didn't change the fact that being stuck in a car with three other people grated on his nerves just a tiny bit, but at least he loved them. Well, two of them. Carol was okay. Even just teasing her like that in his head was enough to make him laugh.

"Do I even wanna know?" Carol asked, giving him a sour look in the rear view mirror.

"Probably not," he replied.

Carol had to park pretty far from their destination, but none of them minded the walk. It was a beautiful day and such a change from the hustle of New York. Pietro found his mind slowing down, relaxing into a steadier, calmer pace. This place was good for him. It was good for his sister. Sometimes he wished they never had to leave.

Then he remembered everything they had been through to get to this point, and he knew they couldn't stay.

Still, he'd enjoy it while he could. He kept an eye on Wanda as they walked, watched her holding Carol's hand and smiling, and was pleased to see she looked lighter already. He hummed to himself a little, just enjoying the day.

And of course, because he was congratulating himself on a job well done, something had to happen.

It started with his phone. And then Wanda's started ringing too. He shot his sister a worried look as he scrambled for his phone, but she was already pulling hers out.

"Yes?" she asked. Pietro watched her face as she listened, not bothering to answer his phone anymore, focused only on his sister. "I understand. Yes... Yes, we will be there." Her voice was cold, face stony, but Pietro could see anger and disappointment in her eyes as she hung up.

"What is it?" Carol asked. Wanda looked at him, though, when she answered.

"We have to go. Now," she said. "There is an emergency."

Pietro felt his heart crash to his feet as he watched his sister turn to Carol and apologize, the shame and disappointment in her eyes more than he could bear. He looked at Peter instead, into his confused but understanding eyes, and gave his boyfriend a tiny, humorless smile.

"Work calls," he said, trying to keep his voice light. "I will call you as soon as I can." Peter grasped his hand and gave it a comforting squeeze, and he was suddenly filled with intense gratitude for this boy who accepted what he could give and still wanted to be with him. How had his fortunes changed so drastically?

Carol was giving Wanda a tight hug when he looked at them again.

"We will leave the car with you," Pietro told her. "You will need it."

"How are you guys going to get to the airport? That's a long way. Are you sure you don't want me to drop you off?" Peter asked. Pietro gave him a cocky smile.

"You doubt me?" He laughed. "We have a way. Do not worry. Give our best to Jessica. Tell her I am sorry I did not get to see her embarrassed in front of everyone." That earned him a scowl from Carol, but Peter laughed, so it was totally worth it.

Pietro took his sister's hand and led her away, anger simmering in his chest. Steve had promised them time, and this is what they got. This is what his _sister_ got. More pain.

There would be a reckoning.


	10. Chapter 10

"Shine"

Chapter Ten

by darthelwig

* * *

*** I own nothing. I'm just having fun. ***

A/N: Update 2 of 3 for today.

* * *

Carol watched Wanda walk away, fighting down the frustration she always felt when Avenging inevitably interrupted their time together. God, she loved and admired Wanda for wanting to use her powers to make a difference in the world, to help people, but it was also so damn hard to have such limited time with her.

"I hate this," she confessed to a quiet Peter as they started moving again.

"It's the job," he said simply. "I don't like it either, but it makes Pietro happy, so I'll support him."

"You've always seemed so... easygoing about it," Carol said. "I can't be like that." She could barely let Wanda go sometimes. She wanted to clutch Wanda to her chest and never let her leave again. Peter just shrugged.

"Well, I know he's coming back, so we're only gonna be apart for a little while. He'll always come back to me." The simple confidence in Peter's statement rocked Carol. Was that her problem? Did she feel like Wanda wasn't going to return one day? Is that what bothered her deep down?

No, she knew Wanda would come back. She just didn't come back enough.

* * *

"Carol!" Jess yelled as she jumped into Carol's arms, nearly knocking them both over. "You came! And you were only a little bit late," she teased.

"Of course I did," Carol said, laughing. "The uniform suits you, Jess. You look happy." And she really did. Happier than Carol had seen her in a long time. It had taken Jess a long time to decide what she wanted to do after graduation, but she seemed happy with her decision, and Carol was happy for her.

Peter wrapped Jess in a bear hug, telling her how proud he was.

Carol didn't know what made her do it, but some instinct led her to glance around the room, and her startled gaze fell upon her family, speaking to another young graduate she couldn't see very well. Her heart thudded in her chest and she barely breathed as she stared.

They looked good. Happy, even, smiles all around, as if they'd never lost their oldest child. As if they didn't mourn her loss at all, when she felt it every day. And then the graduate turned to greet someone else and Carol's heart broke into pieces.

It was Simon. Of all people, _Simon_. The guy who had cheated on her, threatened her, then attacked her in a drunken rage. The guy who nearly died at Wanda's hands. She couldn't fathom why her family would get involved in his life, but here they were, congratulating him like proud parents.

The knife twisted in her chest as her father put his hand on Simon's shoulder and said something to him that had him ducking his head in obviously pleased embarrassment. Her father's wide grin made her stomach lurch.

She'd always wished for her father to look at her like that.

"Carol?" Jess said, pulling her attention back to her friends. "Carol, I'm sorry. I didn't think they'd be here."

"It's _Simon_ , Jess."

"Yeah, I don't know why they like him so much. I didn't expect them to come to this."

"You should've told me he'd be here, Jess." Carol was angry, with Jess, with herself, with the world and circumstances that prevented her from telling Jess the whole story about what happened between her and Simon and Wanda. But that was her burden to carry, and Wanda wasn't here to support her. Again.

A flare of resentment burned in her gut, and this time she let it.

"You don't have to talk to them," Peter said, trying to be comforting. His understanding gaze grated on her. How could anyone understand? How could anyone know, when she couldn't talk about it with anyone who was actually present?

"I need some air," she told them before pushing through the crowd and out the doors. She took a deep breath when she was in the fresh air again, trying to loosen the knot of tension that threatened to choke her. Damn it, she was supposed to be beyond this, beyond _them_.

"Carol?" Her mother's voice came from behind her, and Carol closed her eyes and swore under her breath. Life really did have it out for her. She turned to see not just her mother, but her father and brother too, accompanied by Simon.

He looked much better now, the only remaining sign of his fight with Wanda, if you could even call it that, was a scar running out of his hairline. The cold look in his eyes didn't surprise her even if the lack of scars did.

"Mom," Carol said, so grateful her voice was steady. She didn't feel steady. Not at all. Her knees were shaking like leaves.

Her mother's eyes filled with tears, and she was about to say something else when her father raised his hand to cut her off.

"We have no daughter," he said coldly, his gaze hard. Carol hated the way her breath caught as she struggled not to break. She hated the disgust in her father's eyes and the grief plain on her mother's face. She hated the way her brother was looking at her in pity.

Fuck this. Fuck them.

She wanted to scream, to fight, to throw her pain in their faces and hurt them like she was hurting. She wanted them to care, to miss her even a little. She wanted them to take it all back, to tell her they loved her no matter what and they'd never tell her to leave again. A small part of her even wanted to beg for forgiveness, to tell them she was wrong and her feelings had been a phase, unnatural and unwholesome and she was leaving it all behind to come back to them if they'd have her.

And god did she hate that she could think that for even a second. But at least the rage that inspired in her gave her the strength to stand tall.

"When you feel like being decent human beings again," she said, "you know how to find me."

Her father's scowl deepened but he didn't say another word as he led her mother away. Her brother followed meekly behind, though he gave her hand a subtle squeeze as he walked by. She wanted to be angry with him, but how could she? He still had to live with them. At least he didn't hate her.

That left her with Simon.

"I know who that bitch is," he said quietly, anger in every line of his face. "Took them forever to fix me up, but it was SHIELD. They've got the best."

Carol was startled, and suddenly very, very afraid for Wanda.

"Don't worry," he continued. "I won't say anything. That's part of the deal, you see? I get my life back, mostly, and they get my silence." He paused. "Where _is_ your little girlfriend, Carol? I was hoping I'd get to see the bitch again."

"Not here," she said, as calmly as she could. She must be in shock. That had to be the reason the world was swimming around her and she couldn't feel her feet.

"That's too bad," he said. "Well, it's been fun, but I've gotta go. Your folks are taking me out to celebrate. They think of me like family now." His smirk infuriated her. She wanted to slap him, but she held back, just barely.

"Don't let me keep you," she said coldly.

"You never could've," Simon laughed. "Remember? Not even your pussy was good enough to keep me around." He gave her a lazy, mocking salute and left her there to stew in her anger.


	11. Chapter 11

"Shine"

Chapter Eleven

by darthelwig

* * *

*** I own nothing. I'm just having fun. ***

* * *

Pietro held his sister's hand tightly as they sought the privacy to leave without exposing themselves. He was upset for her, and he knew she could tell, would probably have been able to tell even without her powers with how well she knew him. And honestly, he knew he'd never been all that subtle about his feelings anyway.

He knew exactly what she was thinking. It was written all over her face if you knew how to look, and he knew how to look. She'd had to disappoint Carol yet again, break yet another promise in order to fulfill her duties.

When they'd chosen to join the Avengers, neither of them had imagined they could have something like this in their lives. A normal relationship with a normal person. Yet that's exactly what each of them had found, against all odds. Avenging was what they'd chosen to do, but Pietro wondered sometimes if it was what they were really meant to do. Could it truly be right when all it seemed to cause was pain? When his sister's heart was constantly torn in two?

His little sister was tearing herself up inside because she couldn't find the balance. He'd found his. He and Peter worked so easily. He didn't really understand why, but their lives and needs just fit. It wasn't nearly as hard for him as it was for his precious baby sister.

"Are you okay?" Pietro asked, and Wanda nodded mutely. "I am sorry, little sister. This is not what I had intended for us."

"It is not your fault, Pietro. These things just are. With the lives we lead and the dangers out there, I should be surprised we get as much time as we do." Wanda was obviously trying to sound calm, but he could read her like a book.

"They do not own us, Wanda. We do not owe them our lives. Joining them does not mean we must give up other things in our lives."

"Does it not?" Wanda asked, looking fully serious. "It seems it does. We have fought it and fought it, but it always comes back to this. We have what little free time the job grants us, and that is never enough." She tugged him to a stop. "Carol will tire of this one day, brother. She deserves better. But how can I turn away from my responsibilities? I must atone for what I did. People died because of me, Pietro. I must use my powers to help now."

"What _we_ did, Wanda. We talked about this before. We did this together, and we will atone together, but no one says we cannot have another life as well, a life outside of _this_."

"They do not have to say it, Pietro. It is all too obvious." She looked so resigned, so defeated. Rage burned hot in his gut. He was the elder. He was supposed to protect and provide for her, and he was failing. He refused to let that happen. He'd never failed his sister before, and he refused to start now. Her happiness was everything.

The run to the Quinjet's coordinates was short. Pietro set his sister down carefully when they arrived, trying to remain calm.

"Finally," Steve said, standing in the back of the jet. "Come on. We don't have time to waste."

And that was the last straw. _Wasting time?_ He called dealing with their personal lives wasting time? Who the hell did he think he was?

In the blink of an eye, with the full force of his speed behind him, Pietro tackled the smug, self righteous bastard, knocking them both to the floor. Steve grunted beneath him, and Pietro took the opportunity before the man collected himself to punch him square in the jaw.

He followed it up with blow after blow, ignoring the pain in his hands and the yells of the others. He had moved too fast for them to interrupt him yet, and that was good. That was perfect. He drove his fists into their leader's face, rage fueling him, his only thought to wipe that look of judgment and superiority off the bastard.

Much too soon, he was being pulled off and restrained. His eyes stayed on Captain Rogers as he stood and wiped blood off his slightly mangled face. Pietro barely noticed Wanda's hands on his chest, her frightened voice in his ears, but slowly her tears broke through the haze in his mind and he met her gaze with sorrow, but no regret.

"Pietro Maximoff," Steve said, "as of this moment, you're off the team."


	12. Chapter 12

"Shine"

Chapter Twelve

By Darthelwig

* * *

*** I own nothing. I'm just having fun. ***

* * *

Wanda was horrified.

"No," she gasped. "You cannot do that! I cannot do this without my brother. _Please_."

Pietro grabbed her shoulder and forced her to look at him. His eyes were angrier than she had ever seen.

"Do not beg them, Wanda, and do not worry. I will never leave you, no matter what." That was addressed to Captain Rogers, who sighed and wiped at his face with a towel Natasha produced from god knows where.

"We don't have time for this," Captain Rogers said. "Look, we're not trying to separate the two of you and this doesn't have to be permanent, but I won't have someone on the team who will attack another teammate unprovoked."

"Unprovoked!" Pietro interrupted furiously, but Steve cut him off.

"Unprovoked. Get that chip off your shoulder, both of you. Pietro is suspended for now, until he can prove he's gotten his temper under control. Wanda, we aren't kicking him out. He'll still be there when you get back to the base. Now, we have a mission to get to and we're running very late. Pietro, I trust you can make your way back to base. If not, see Clint. Wanda, you wanna stay on this team, take a seat and we'll head out. Is that understood?"

Wanda cringed as she looked at her brother in silent apology. His gaze held the first hint of regret since he'd attacked Steve, and he cupped her cheek gently.

 _"_ _Are you sure you want this, Wanda? I'll take you away from here if you wish,"_ he said softly in Sokovian, but she couldn't take him up on the offer. She just couldn't. As much as she didn't want to do this without him, and as afraid as she was to leave his side, she wanted even more to prove herself to these people and to make a difference in the world. She had to try.

 _"_ _I'm sure, Pietro,"_ she replied.

He nodded and returned his attention to Captain Rogers. "Bring her home safely," he growled. Steve only sighed.

And then, with a quick kiss to her forehead, her brother was gone.

* * *

Being on a mission without Pietro was hard. Harder than she had imagined it would be. She felt more alone than she had in as long as she could remember.

It had nothing to do with the team. They treated her as one of them, though she knew she'd done little to deserve it. Sam was especially kind, taking the time to sit and talk to her while the autopilot flew them to their destination.

No, it wasn't the team. It was not being able to reach out and find comfort in his presence, not being able to touch his mind with hers. It was knowing he wasn't watching her back while she guarded his. It was being forced apart from him for the first time since Hydra. She felt unsettled, uneasy in her own skin. Trying to be strong, to not crumble at the edges and show the team how unfit for duty she truly was, kept her tense and unsure of herself. And she wasn't sure if she was entirely successful anyway. Natasha saw far too much.

But the mission itself seemed simple enough. Break into a Hydra base to recover or destroy some sort of alien technology they had uncovered. They didn't know what Hydra was using it for or where they'd come across such tech, or even what the alien technology they were looking for actually was, but Steve was confident they would know it when they saw it, and Wanda had faith in that. He was an excellent leader and had encountered similar things before. He would know what to do.

She'd encountered alien artifacts as well, but she doubted her time in Hydra's hands, being warped and altered by Loki's staff, really gave her any insight.

They were spotted as soon as they approached, of course. Hydra was diminished but not beaten. Their soldiers put up a spectacular fight, but the end result had never been in doubt. The Avengers subdued them with little real difficulty.

The search of the base took a surprisingly short amount of time. Rhodey used Stark's tech to examine the building for any hidden areas, of which he found quite a few. None of them yielded the alien technology they were looking for, though, and none of their Hydra prisoners could or would tell them anything.

It left them all frustrated, and Wanda rubbed her temples to soothe the headache that was quickly forming.

"Looks like whatever they had was moved way before we got wind of it, Steve," Nat said, keeping her voice low.

"They've been two steps ahead of us for too long," he replied tersely. Then, with a great sigh, his shoulders sagged and Wanda could see the exhaustion in every line of him. "Let's wrap this up so we can get moving. We've got a lot of work ahead of us."

She braced herself to be instructed to dig into the minds of their Hydra prisoners for any clues, but she was left blessedly alone. Steve had set the rule that she was not to go into people's minds. Breaking that rule didn't seem like something he would do, but Wanda knew all too well that one day, if they didn't make enough progress, she might be called upon to do so.

Desperate times called for desperate measures. Isn't that what they said? He might not be desperate quite yet, but Steve was already weary and frustrated. How much more would it take?

She didn't want to know. She didn't want to do it. She would. If called upon, she would obey, but the idea of it made her queasy. She tried not to think about that boy anymore. Simon. She'd nearly killed him, nearly driven him to madness and destroyed his mind, for daring to attack Carol, and it had nearly cost her Carol's love. She didn't want to do that again, didn't want to be that person. So she would slip into these men's minds if the Captain so wished, but she was very grateful he didn't.

It was the least she could do, right? This was her job, and her team, supposedly, and they were all focused on the mission and giving their all to it, whereas she seemed to be going through the motions, her focus too split to be much help.

She cursed herself for being so wrapped up in her own problems for so long. She would've seen what was going on around her if she'd bothered to look, seen how drained her teammates were, and how much they needed her to pull her weight. It was a sobering thought. Perhaps Steve was right about her all along, and she needed to recommit to being a part of their team, spend her time working, not playing. These people were tasked with saving the world, and she had wanted to become one of them, but she wasn't doing much good to them as things were.

She hoped it wasn't too late to change things around and make amends.

"Alright. Let's load them up," Steve called out. SHIELD would take these men prisoner and get as much information from them as they could. Hopefully one of them would talk. In Wanda's experience, Hydra soldiers were fiercely loyal and all too willing to martyr themselves to the cause. Hail fucking Hydra, and all that.

As she watched them load the prisoners into the back of a transport, she caught Steve looking at her, and she wondered if he'd been wanting her to volunteer her powers for their cause. She wondered if not doing so made her a coward.

Her mind flashed to Carol's terrified eyes the night of Homecoming, and she decided she'd rather be a coward than a monster.


	13. Chapter 13

"Shine"

Chapter Thirteen

By Darthelwig

* * *

*** I own nothing. I'm just having fun. ***

* * *

Pietro hated being separated from his twin for any reason. Hydra had done that to them during the experiments. Something about safety and environmental control. He hadn't really cared about their reasons at the time. He'd just hated it. But it was what they'd had to do in order to strengthen themselves, so they'd done it.

If only he'd known then that it was really Hydra. But he hadn't, and they'd gained powers beyond their wildest imaginings, and their lives had never been the same.

He'd thought no one could separate them again. There were no more orphanages or foster families, no jail cells that meant a night of warmth and a meal even if they had to be apart. Hydra was a thing of the past, better left a memory. He'd thought they were past all that.

And then he had to go and screw it up.

He could kick himself for getting himself suspended from the team. Who was going to watch his sister's back now? Who was going to make sure she rested properly after a battle? Who knew her needs? Who kept her welfare in mind before their own?

Him. Only him. And here he was, kicking around base aimlessly, waiting for the team to return.

He hadn't wanted to stay with Clint, though the man had offered. The peace of the farm became a hollow loneliness without his sister, knowing she was off, putting herself in danger without him there.

Okay, yes, she could protect herself very well, thank you. But he was still her older brother. It was his foremost duty and greatest joy to look after her, and he was failing. All because he hadn't been able to control his temper. But damn it, Steve had deserved it, every blow, with his self-righteous judgement and superiority. Pietro hadn't regretted it at first, and a part of him still didn't and never would. But there was another part of him, growing larger with every hour he was apart from his sister, that said he was an idiot.

He wasn't sure if he was supposed to leave the base, but he didn't really care. He needed to run, needed to move, and he needed out from under the thumb of SHIELD for a while. With his powers, it was child's play to get away. He didn't have a destination in mind at first, but an idea came to him while he headed to the city.

It wasn't long before he was at Carol's door. She glowered at him before motioning him inside and shutting the door behind him.

"Your room is small, but nice," he said, trying to be pleasant. "Too many people outside, though."

"Yeah, well, I like it just fine and I wasn't asking you," Carol said sharply as she plopped down on her bed and pulled a pillow into her lap. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be off saving the world?"

Pietro was taken aback by her tone and the anger radiating off of her. He hadn't seen Carol like this before, not even when her parents rejected her and she'd had to move into Clint's place with them.

"I got into a fight," he said slowly. "I have been suspended. I am supposed to be home now, 'thinking about my actions' but I have thought about them and now I am bored. Decided maybe I should come check on you for Wanda." Her gaze hardened at the mention of his sister, and something unpleasant roiled in his gut.

"Well, I'm here. I'm fine. Mission accomplished," she snapped. "You can tell Wanda she doesn't need to bother coming to see me."

"What is your problem?" he asked angrily, his temper finally up. "Why would you say such a thing? My sister would be here if she could."

" _If she could_ ," Carol spat. "That's the problem. She can't be here. She can _never_ be here."

"You know of her responsibilities. The Avengers-"

" _Fuck_ the Avengers!" Carol was all rage and bitterness, and Pietro wondered through the shocked haze in his mind how long she'd been holding all that in. "Sometimes _I_ need Wanda too! What about _me_? What about her responsibilities to me? All her _promises_?"

"My sister has never broken a promise to you," he said coldly, folding his arms over his chest and staring her down. But Carol didn't give an inch. He hadn't really expected her to. She got right up in his face now.

"She told me I was the most important thing in her life," Carol said, and Pietro hated how broken she sounded even through her anger, "but I'm not. I'm not."

Pietro sighed heavily and tried to find the words.

"You are the most important thing in her life, Carol. But Wanda and I... we have much to atone for. We have these gifts, and what do we have them for if not to help people? And if they do not have a purpose, then we suffered for nothing, warped our bodies and nearly lost ourselves for nothing." Pietro gave her a wry, humorless smile. "Neither Wanda or I want that to become our reality."

"Yeah, well, my reality sucks right now and she's part of that. Maybe this just wasn't meant to be. Maybe we weren't meant to stay together. Sometimes you need to just cut your losses and move on, you know?" She said it so steadily, so surely, and Pietro was struck dumb for a moment by the sentiment. Did this mean...?

"Are you going to leave my sister?" he asked, voice harsh though he didn't mean it to be. But his heart was breaking for his little sister, and for Carol too, and it all felt unreal. _Wanda..._

" _She's_ left _me_ too many times, so maybe I am. Maybe it's better this way." She had tears in her eyes, unshed but _there_ , and Pietro was suddenly so angry, so _furious_ that this girl would give up, that she wouldn't fight for his baby sister.

"You need to be very clear with me right now, Carol," he all but growled at her. " _Are you leaving my sister?_ " Fuck this girl. Fuck her for doing this right now, to him, through him. Fuck her for her cowardice. Fuck her for her weakness. And fuck her for the words he knew were about to come out of her mouth.

"Yeah. I am."

Pietro bit his tongue hard enough to taste blood as he tried his best not to give in to the burning rage in his chest. It would do nothing, change nothing. He forced himself to take a deep, slow breath before he opened his mouth to speak.

"You must be the one to tell my sister. I will not do it for you. You want to break her heart, do it yourself."

He didn't wait to hear her response. Anything she said would only enrage him further. The pain in his chest was nearly crippling, and he wondered how the hell he was supposed to hide this from his sister before she spoke to Carol. Unthinking, uncaring about where he was going, he ran, but not even his speed could outpace the pain.

He didn't know how long he ran, but eventually he found himself at Peter's doorstep. He pushed his sweaty hair back and raised a shaky hand, barely knocking before his boyfriend swung open the door and pulled him into a fierce hug.

"Pietro! God, I'm so glad you're here. Carol told me what happened," Peter said, and Pietro's anger flared anew.

"Well, then everyone knows this even before Wanda," he snapped. He immediately regretted his tone. "I am sorry. This is not your fault. I should not take it out on you," he said.

"It's okay," Peter said sympathetically. "Come on in." He guided Pietro inside and onto the couch, where he sat shaking. "I'm so sorry. What can I do?"

Pietro snorted. "You would not happen to have a time machine? I would like to erase this day." He was frustrated, angry, a part of him still trying to wrap its mind around the fact that Carol had decided to break things off with Wanda.

"I knew Wanda and Carol were having problems," he said, "but I did not believe it would come to this. I told Wanda it would be okay. I told her Carol loved her too much to let her go. I was a fool!" He put his head between his knees, hands yanking at his hair, barely aware of the tears now on his face. Peter sat with him, untangled Pietro's fingers from his hair and clasped them in his own. He pulled Pietro solidly against him, and Pietro clutched at Peter's thigh like a lifeline.

"I do not know what will happen to my sister without Carol," he whispered, just loud enough for Peter to hear.

"It's gonna be okay. She's got you, and me. And your team, right? You support each other. She'll get through this," Peter said, rubbing a hand in slow circles over Pietro's back.

"Yeah," Pietro said, thinking of how little support Wanda felt in the Avengers compound right now, how alone she already was, and he was afraid.

For the first time in his life, Pietro was grateful his sister wasn't there.


	14. Chapter 14

"Shine"

Chapter Fourteen

By Darthelwig

* * *

*** I own nothing. I'm just having fun. ***

* * *

Wanda couldn't wait to get back to base so she could see Carol. She'd already cleared it with Steve this time, even getting permission to call Carol as soon as they had reached American airspace again. Perhaps he was feeling guilty for cutting her visit short. Whatever the reason, she was happy to have this chance, so she huddled in the back of the jet and she clutched her phone tightly as she raised it to her ear and waited for Carol to pick up.

"Hey, Wanda."

There was something wrong. Carol's voice has never sounded so flat before, so cold. Her heart clenched.

"I have permission to come see you," she said quietly, not wanting the others to overhear. "We will land in another half an hour or so. We will probably have to debrief, but I can be there right after."

"Don't bother."

"What do you mean?" she asked slowly, afraid she already knew the answer.

"I mean," Carol said angrily, "that you shouldn't bother coming here. I'm done. We're over. I'm tired of waiting around and never seeing you, always coming in second to everything else. Do you know what happened when you left me this time? I had to face my parents. And Simon. Alone. You were supposed to be there, Wanda."

Wanda's heart was breaking into a million pieces. She couldn't breathe. She'd failed Carol so badly. She'd promised Carol she was the most important thing in her life and then proven otherwise. She sucked in a breath. "I am so sorry, Carol."

"I know," Carol said, relenting. "I know you never meant to do this, but this is how things are, and I need more. I deserve more, and I can't go on like this." She sounded so sad. Wanda hated herself for making her sound that way.

"I understand," she said, hoping her voice didn't sound as small as she felt. "Be happy, Carol. That is all I want for you." And she did. God, she did. Carol's happiness was all that mattered. She'd known it would come to this. How could someone like her ever keep someone as bright and beautiful as Carol? She didn't deserve her.

She ended the call before she could say anything stupid.


	15. Chapter 15

"Shine"

Chapter Fifteen

By Darthelwig

* * *

*** I own nothing. I'm just having fun. ***

A/N: I began this story before the Captain Marvel movie came out, and chose Monica Rambeau based on information from the comics versions of the characters.

* * *

Carol sat on the bed in her lonely dorm room and hugged her knees to her chest as she contemplated what she'd done. The faint sounds of voices outside in the distance, talking and laughing and generally happy, just made her grief that much worse. She'd tried to shut it out with music, but every song reminded her of Wanda, of their first kiss at that party, their first date driving to the arcade, dancing at Homecoming. It was all too painful.

She still couldn't believe she'd told Pietro she was breaking up with Wanda. It hadn't been thought out or planned. She'd just blurted it out in the heat of the moment, emotions running high, and it was only afterwards that she'd realized that a part of her really, really meant it. Not all of her. She didn't think there could ever be a time when all of her was done with Wanda. Not ever. But there was a part of her that, yes, was just plain tired.

And that's the part of her that had told Wanda not to bother coming back.

She loved Wanda, and maybe always would, but she couldn't handle the struggle. It hadn't been so bad at first, but things had gotten worse over time and now they rarely saw each other. There were video chats and phone calls, texts, but she'd gone to this college partially because it was close to her girlfriend. She hadn't signed on for a long distance relationship.

She couldn't deal with it. And was it even fair to Wanda to keep trying? She had other responsibilities she could focus on if Carol wasn't in her life. The Avengers needed her, and Wanda needed this chance to prove herself. She knew that. She and Pietro had both said so. It wasn't right for her to keep interfering with that.

She missed Wanda so much, but god, she'd started resenting her too. Anger still burned in her for Wanda's absence at a time when she'd really needed her support. She knew it wasn't Wanda's fault. She _knew_ that. But it didn't change anything. She felt how she felt, and she couldn't seem to stop no matter how much she told herself she was being unreasonable. Her heart was no longer satisfied with Wanda's absence from the most important moments of her life.

And that was the crux of their issues, wasn't it? Wanda was never there to cheer her on at games anymore. She hadn't been there to celebrate the wins or comfort her after the losses. She hadn't been there to experience her finally getting to spread her wings and find her place with people she didn't have to hide herself with, people so the opposite of her parents. She didn't know Carol's friends, had never come to a party.

They had grown apart when Carol wasn't looking, and she was finally seeing the truth for what it was.

The thought was depressing, and tears slipped down her face unheeded.

She wished she'd been able to express all of this to Pietro, had hated the look she'd put on his face, but the words wouldn't come, swallowed by anger and that fucking resentment that she couldn't shake. She knew she'd hurt him and that she'd broken Wanda's heart, but this had to be better, didn't it? A clean break and a fresh start. Let them both move on and start to heal. Now if only the healing would start. It had only been a couple of days, but they dragged on and on, drowning her in her pain.

She could still hear Wanda's voice in her ear, the understanding and acceptance. The defeat.

 _Stop. Stop thinking about it. Better to think about Pietro than Wanda, if you have to think about any of this at all. You're just making this harder on yourself._

A soft knock on her door startled Carol from her stupor, and she was very tempted to ignore it, but Monica popped her head in before Carol could say anything.

"Hey! I heard you just got back from your trip. Sorry I couldn't stop by earlier. Wanna grab some dinner?" she asked. Carol shook her head, and her friend looked at her in concern. "What's wrong, Carol?" Monica settled down next to her on the bed and put an arm around her shoulders, and Carol couldn't help but cry harder.

"It's nothing," she said hoarsely.

"It's not nothing if you're crying about it," Monica said, giving her a gentle squeeze. "Come on. You can talk to me." The genuine concern and caring in Monica's voice made her want to share, made her want to open up even if she couldn't tell the whole truth.

"I ran into my parents and my ex while we were visiting Jess," she said, sniffling. "It was so messed up. They're basically treating him like a son while my dad denies I even exist. I just... sometimes I hate them for it, but they're my parents, you know? I feel bad for hating them, but

it would make everything so much easier. Maybe I could just get over it and not let them hurt me anymore."

Monica leaned her head against Carol's. "That's not how it works," she said.

"Yeah, I know," Carol sighed, "but that doesn't stop me from wishing." She paused, contemplating whether or not to open up about the rest, but fuck it. She needed to talk to someone. "Wanda should've been there, but she wasn't," she said.

"I thought she and her brother went with you."

"Yeah, but they got called away on business. We had hardly any time together, and she didn't even get to see Jess' ceremony. And she sure as hell wasn't there for me when I needed her." She hadn't meant to sound so bitter. It just came out that way. But that was the truth. She was more than a little bitter that she was in a relationship with someone who would never be able to be there for her like she wanted or needed. Well... _had_ been in a relationship. That was over now. "I broke up with her. I can't do this anymore."

Monica held her silently for a long time before tucking a strand of Carol's hair behind her ear, making butterflies swarm in her stomach at the soft touch. God, she felt starved for affection.

"I know just what you need," Monica said. "There's a party tonight. I want you to come with me. Relax, unwind, and just put this behind you for a little while."

Carol nodded. "Yeah. That sounds good."

* * *

Carol's head was spinning. Just a little. Might've been all the beer she'd had. Or maybe the shots she'd done in the midst of drinking all that beer. All she knew for sure at the moment was that she needed to sit down. Preferably somewhere without the heavy beat of the music thumping through her chest.

She ducked into a less noisy room where a few couples were heavily making out and nearly tripped over her own two feet getting to the one unoccupied couch.

She could ignore the heavy breathing and moans from around her. Yup. It wouldn't make her think of Wanda at all, wouldn't make her heartsick and lonely. Nope. She was just fine, thank you very much. She just needed to rest her head for a little while.

She closed her eyes, tipped her head onto the back of the couch, and let herself drift. For how long, she didn't know, but she was yanked out of her reverie by Monica collapsing heavily next to her on the couch.

"Carol," Monica said, her words slurred, obviously drunk. "I wanna tell you something."

Carol rolled her head to the side and looked at her friend but couldn't bring herself to raise her head. Not yet. It felt too heavy and too light all at the same time.

"What's that?" she asked. Monica looked at her with an intensity that suddenly made Carol very aware of how close they were. Monica's eyes were full of heat, desire, yearning, focused directly at her. Her fingers came up to stroke Carol's cheek.

"You're so beautiful," Monica said seriously. "Prettiest girl ever. Thought that since the day we met."

Carol didn't know what to say to that, but the words created a warmth in her chest and started all new butterflies fluttering in her stomach, and she didn't want to stop them, didn't want that feeling to fade, wanted to hold onto it for as long as she could and let it melt some of the ice around her heart.

So she didn't pull away when Monica moved closer, when she dipped her head down to brush her lips over Carol's. Finding no resistance, Monica kissed her again, and this time Carol kissed her back, let herself embrace it. She parted her lips to let Monica in, and moaned as the girl devoured her mouth.

This was what she needed, someone to hold her, want her, warm her with passion and comfort her with their presence. She was burning, needy. Monica's hands were under her shirt, exploring, and Carol slipped her hands down to squeeze Monica's ass, making her gasp.

But her ass was too firm, not the right fit to her palms. Her breasts against Carol's chest were not full enough, not the soft press of flesh she was used to. Her hips were too narrow, her lips not as plush, and her eyes not the sparkling green that she loved.

Carol pulled away, breathing hard.

"Stop. Monica, stop," she said hoarsely. The girl pulled her hands out from beneath Carol's top and sat back, and Carol saw on her face that she already knew what was coming. "I can't do this," she said anyway.

"Jesus, Carol. Why are you so hung up on this girl?" Monica asked. Her words were sharp with anger even through the fuzziness of alcohol. "She's never even here. You _broke up_ with her."

Carol could only shrug and offer Monica the one thing that mattered even more than the loneliness and the pain. "I still love her," she said helplessly. And that was the whole problem, wasn't it? She loved Wanda too much, and it was killing her to let her go. "I'm sorry."

Monica shook her head. "You can do so much better."

Carol flashed back to everything that had happened to her, how drastically her life had changed, how much she had changed since meeting Wanda. That meant something, it would always mean something. Wanda had always supported her, believed in her, always told her how strong and capable she was, and in doing so had given her the world.

She couldn't forget that so easily. Even if they couldn't be together, her heart wasn't ready to move on. A lack of love had never been their problem.

"I'm sorry," she repeated. It was all she had to offer, and it had to be enough.


	16. Chapter 16

"Shine"

Chapter Sixteen

By Darthelwig

* * *

*** I own nothing. I'm just having fun. ***

* * *

Wanda fingered the edge of her jacket as she crouched behind a wall waiting for the signal from Steve that they should move in on the arms dealers. They were just waiting for Natasha and Sam to finish recon. Things seemed to be going smoothly. Pietro was trying out his new bulletproof outfit Stark had created specifically to accommodate his powers. He kept fidgeting and adjusting it, and she rolled her eyes.

He'd been especially fidgety since they'd gotten back to base and discovered Carol had already broken up with her, and she knew lingering guilt was picking away at him. She'd already told him he had nothing to feel sorry for when he'd apologized for supporting and encouraging her relationship with Carol, for not preparing her for the possibility that a breakup might occur, but that was just ridiculous, and she'd told him as much.

Perhaps she would have to talk to him again. He had a hard head. The fault was only her own.

She wished they would just move already. Sitting and waiting was only allowing her more time to think about the ruins of her relationship with Carol. God, she missed her already. Even knowing she would have had to maintain radio silence anyway didn't help. She felt empty, hollow knowing Carol wasn't waiting for her.

It was incredibly selfish, and she wondered for probably the hundredth time why Carol had put up with her for so long.

Then the signal finally came, and her thoughts focused on the task at hand. Pietro swept her forward, setting her down quickly before sweeping around the edges of the room taking out the armed guards. She focused on her own job shoving the men in front of her backwards into the heavy crates behind them, effectively taking them out. She could hear Steve and Natasha over the coms, reporting in their progress and demanding updates.

Wanda was ripping the guns from some men rushing inside, just about to report her status, when a mental cry shattered her concentration. She froze, all defenses down, eyes unseeing.

"Carol?" she whispered, reaching out mentally, seeking the connection that had been so brief and so full of terror.

"Wanda!" Pietro yelled, and Steve's shield swept past her frozen form to take out a man who'd been coming up behind her.

"Maximoff, get your head in the game!" Steve ordered, but Wanda was barely aware he'd spoken. She just kept searching for Carol, growing more desperate.

"Damn it, Maximoff," Natasha growled, pulling her back against a wall. Wanda looked right through her.

"Wanda's out of commission, guys," Natasha reported. Pietro was there in an instant, his hands on his sister's shoulders, staring into her glazed eyes. "Get her out of here," Nat said. He nodded and lifted his sister effortlessly, and was gone a second later.

* * *

"What the hell happened out there?" Steve demanded when the rest had rejoined Wanda and Pjetro on board the Quinjet again. Wanda had her head in her hands, shoulders slumped in defeat, and she looked up at him with fearful eyes.

"Carol called out to me. Mentally," she said.

"Wait. She's not- she's not a telepath." Wanda would've felt bad for Steve's confusion if she wasn't so consumed with her own worry.

"No, she is not. But she called to me," she finished softly. Her nerves felt frayed, her entire body jittery and anxious to move, to leave, to _do something_ , but she just folded her arms across her chest and hugged herself. Pietro put his arm around her and she leaned into his silent support.

"You think something's happened to her," Nat said, and Wanda nodded.

"I know it. She was terrified." Terrified and she wasn't there to protect her. Fuck. She was such a failure.

She couldn't stand Steve's scrutiny for long before she had to drop her gaze to the floor, shoulders hunched in as she tried her best not to let the panic consume her. Carol was in trouble and she wasn't there. _Carol was in trouble and she wasn't there._

"Hey Sam," Steve said. "How fast can you get us home?" Wanda's head snapped up and she looked at Steve in shock.

"If I push it?" Sam said. "Probably about two hours."

Steve nodded. "Do it."

"But... are there not things to do? Local authorities to coordinate with?" Wanda asked, shocked.

"Yeah, but they've got it from here. Any questions they have, we can answer later. We aren't leaving your girl in trouble." Steve put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You've gotta trust us, Wanda. We're your team, and we take care of each other."

All she could do was nod as grateful tears flooded her eyes.

 _I am coming, Carol. We are coming._


	17. Chapter 17

"Shine"

Chapter Seventeen

By Darthelwig

* * *

*** I own nothing. I'm just having fun. ***

* * *

Carol checked her phone for what felt like the thousandth time, but still no message from Wanda. God, she missed her. She wondered if Wanda was out on a mission. Surely that was the only reason her girlfriend wouldn't respond, right?

Ex-girlfriend. God. She hadn't had a chance to talk to Wanda since that disastrous phone call where she'd obviously lost her mind and thought she'd be better off without the girl who had helped her change her entire life around. She had tried to call Wanda since then, had texted her so many times, without response. She needed Wanda to answer, needed a chance. Then she could explain, could beg for a chance to make it right, could tell her that she'd been an idiot and had no intention of leaving the best thing that had ever happened to her. She could even accept that the Avengers came first.

Guilt hit her hard as she imagined how much she must've hurt Wanda by breaking things off with her. She knew Wanda depended on her, leaned on her for emotional support, and she'd acted like that didn't even matter. Carol shook her head at herself. She'd been such a bitch, so selfish. Wanda couldn't be more dedicated to her, and she knew that. Had always known.

They would work through this. They had to. There was no way in hell she was going to give up on the girl she loved just because they couldn't be together as often as she wanted, no matter what she had said to the contrary. She couldn't let go. She was an idiot to have even entertained the thought, much less acted on it.

She let out a frustrated sigh as she checked her silent phone one more time before tucking it into her pocket. Fuck it.

Maybe she'd call Jess later and cry on her shoulder. She would've tried to talk to Monica, but things had been awkward between them since the party, and she didn't know how to deal with that yet.

Carol walked briskly through the campus, the bite of the cold air helping to clear her head a little.

The bag over her head came as a complete surprise. She kicked out hard as rough hands grabbed her, tried to scream, but she felt the prick of a needle and suddenly the world started to tilt and fade. Her last coherent thought was a desperate call of Wanda's name.

* * *

Consciousness came back gradually, accompanied by pain. Her head hurt like a bitch, and when she cracked open her eyes the light stabbed straight into her brain, making her flinch. Footsteps approached, and Carol tried her best to fight back the pain and nausea that came along with the headache. Whatever they'd knocked her out with was ridiculous, and she was definitely going to file a complaint.

She took stock of her body while she let her eyes rest. She was tied to a chair of some sort, and it must've been a while because her muscles were already stiff and achy. Her shoulders were stretched uncomfortably behind her, her head forward on her chest, and the tension wasn't helping the headache any. She didn't feel any obvious open wounds or broken bones, so she wasn't terribly injured, at least. Thank heaven for small favors.

The bag on her head was gone, another good thing. Now if she could just open her damn eyes without the stabbing pain in her skull, that'd be great.

The footsteps stopped in front of her and she cracked her eyes open to see neatly polished boots come into view, but she didn't acknowledge it until her head was roughly pulled back by a firm hand in her hair. The man standing over her was unremarkable except for the absolute coldness of his eyes. She'd never seen anything like it before, and it chilled her to her bones.

"She'll do," he said to someone behind her. He stepped to the side and it was only then that Carol realized she wasn't alone. There were four other people in the room, strapped to chairs like she was. A couple had regained consciousness, but the other two were still out. The man with the cold eyes went through his examinations of them regardless, declaring them all fit.

 _Fit for what?_

She didn't have long to wonder before a needle was jabbed into her arm, filled with some sort of cloudy, almost glowing, green liquid. It felt cold going in, like ice settling into her veins, and then came the pain, tearing through her in blinding intensity. She screamed and writhed against her bonds, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed, until eventually she could only convulse weakly as she sat there.

She was barely aware when they hauled her out of the chair and into another room, tossing her limp form down on the ground.

"Start slow," a voice said. She wanted to look up, to sit up, to see who was talking and what they were doing, but she couldn't move, could only stare into the green light they had pointed at her. Could only stare as the light grew brighter and brighter, couldn't even close her eyes, couldn't fight the rising panic. Her heartbeat was deafening in her ears. Couldn't they hear it?

But even that faded from her mind as the light grew and consumed her.


	18. Chapter 18

"Shine"

Chapter Eighteen

By Darthelwig

* * *

*** I own nothing. I'm just having fun. ***

A/N: I finished this story just in time for the end of Pride month! Yay! I'm posting all the rest of it tonight, so... enjoy.

* * *

Something was happening. Carol tried to focus her bleary eyes, blinking hard to see the Hydra goons racing past her holding cell. She forced herself to her feet on legs that could barely hold her and approached the glass, trying to figure out what was going on. It must've been big, because even the guys guarding their cells had been pulled away.

Not that it mattered while they were still locked up tight. She tried the door anyway, but wasn't surprised to find it still locked. She rested her head against the cool glass as tears slid down her face.

She'd had no idea where she was until she'd come awake to a man shining a light in her eyes, giving her a quick examination. She'd seen that freaky Hydra logo on his coat, and she knew. Hell, everyone knew what Hydra was by now. But knowing what she was up against was cold comfort, especially when she could barely feel her limbs.

Carol sniffled. If only her parents could see her now. Helpless, hopeless. What would they say? Would they tell her she deserved every moment of it? That she'd brought this on herself? God punishing the sinners and all. She thought about her brother and how much she missed him. Would she ever get to see him again?

She jumped when the lights went out with a loud bang, plunging them into complete darkness before the dim red of the backup lights came on. She almost couldn't believe it when she heard the buzz of her door unlocking. She tested it hesitantly, almost afraid to hope, but the door swung open easily and she was free.

The other prisoners, the ones who could walk, at least, were exiting their cells. Carol called for help for one of the women who hadn't fared as well, but no one stopped to help her get the woman up on her feet and out of the cage, and she grunted as she was forced to support the woman's weight all on her own. It was slow going, but she refused to leave her behind to whatever fate Hydra had in store for her. The woman was barely conscious, barely able to move her feet, and Carol thanked her lucky stars that she was as athletic as she was.

They were quickly left behind by the other prisoners, but followed a corridor that looked promising. It was empty, but she could hear yelling up ahead, and the thump of feet as soldiers rushed to battle. The closer they got, the more clearly she could hear the distant sounds of battle, and she sat the nearly unconscious woman against the wall so she could take a cautious look around. No sense rushing them right into the thick of things, after all. She wasn't stupid.

The corridor opened up directly into a large room that included the testing area where she'd been subjected to that goddamn injection and light again and again, and her skin crawled as she looked out at it. She really didn't want to go out there, every bit of her revolted against the idea, but she knew they had to. Thundering booms and gunfire echoed throughout the room, and they needed to move while it was still relatively safe. She could see another hallway behind the torture machine, and it beckoned to her like a shining beacon of hope.

She ducked back against the wall as more soldiers suddenly ran past, leaving the room empty once again, but probably not for long. They needed to move.

Carol knelt down and was about to pull the other woman to her feet when a door across the room that she hadn't seen before burst open and Wanda stepped through, calling her name.

Her heart squeezed, throat closed up and tears in her eyes as she realized Wanda had come for her.

But Wanda hadn't seen her. She was looking down now, examining the painted circle on the floor where she'd been tossed and subjected to that hideous beam of light that seemed to white out every thought as she burned from the inside out. Carol could feel the phantom pain of it as scraps of memories flitted through her mind.

It was movement that brought her back to reality, something caught out of the corner of her eye. In the shadows of the emergency lighting, a figure approached the device that would hit Wanda with that beam of green light. Wanda, who had her back turned.

Carol summoned up a reserve of strength she didn't know she had and burst from her hiding place to shove Wanda out of the way just in time to take the full force of the green, sickly light beam, brighter and stronger than she'd ever experienced before. Her entire body seized and she fell to the floor. Her mind faintly registered a flash of red and a crash as she was overcome by the horrible sensation of being ripped apart... god, the _pain_... and then the light was gone, leaving her weak and trembling.

" _Carol_! Oh god." The voice was concerned. She could tell. She wanted to open her mouth and tell her that she was okay. She might be dying, but she was okay with that. She'd saved the world, _her_ world, and it was okay now. Her beautiful Wanda was safe, and that's all that mattered in the end.

Wanda's face filled her vision and Carol held that image to her heart as she let go.


	19. Chapter 19

"Shine"

Chapter Nineteen

By darthelwig

* * *

*** I own nothing. I'm just having fun. ***

* * *

"No no no..." Wanda flung herself down next to a shuddering Carol and grabbed her face. Her eyes were unfocused, unresponsive, and her breathing shallow. Every breath rattled in her chest, and Wanda wanted to scream. "Carol," she pleaded. "Carol _please_. Look at me." She called into her earpiece even as her mind reached out for help.

"What was that?" Natasha asked, the sound of guns heavy in the background.

"Carol is injured. She needs help _now_ ," Wanda repeated frantically.

"Sit tight, Wanda. I've got your location. I'll be there soon," Captain Rogers said, and a sob rocked her body.

Pietro arrived even before Steve, stopping short at the sight.

"What is wrong with her?" he asked. Wanda shook her head and gestured at the strange machine off to the side and the body of a man.

"He shot her with something. She was saving me. She _saved me_ , Pietro," she said, choking on her tears as she gazed up at her brother. And then Captain Rogers was there, taking charge, instructing Pietro to lift Carol in his strong arms and carry her to safety. Wanda wanted to follow, to stay with Carol, but Steve gave her a sharp look and shook his head.

"No, Wanda," he said. "Nat's on her way to secure that artifact, but I need you to guard it for now. This is what we've been searching for. Let's finish this."

Wanda could only agree. She knew her duty, and she owed them so much. She had to trust he would take care of Carol, and she did. She knew it. Steve would do everything he could to help her.

Pietro gave her a tight-lipped smile. "I will keep her safe, sister." Wanda gave him a shaky nod and then he was gone, so Wanda turned her attention to Steve, who was now inspecting the artifact.

"It hit Carol with some sort of light beam. I should not have killed that man. He could have told us what this has done to her, but I did not think. I just reacted. I apologize." Had she doomed Carol? Would they be able to save her without the knowledge in the dead man's head?

"It'll be alright, Wanda. We'll figure it out. I'm sure there are records here. Tony will find them," Captain Rogers said soothingly. Wanda wrapped her arms around herself and looked away, saying nothing. She had to be blank, had to stop thinking, or she was going to lose it.

"Looks like we've got 'em all," Tony said over the com link. Natasha entered the room, looking none the worse for wear.

"Thanks, Tony. Nat and I have the artifact. You know what to do."

Wanda didn't know what to do, so she kept silent and watched as her team leaders examined the machine and discussed the best way to get it to the jet. She focused on controlling the clawing fear that threatened to choke and overwhelm her.

Even as powerful as she was, she was helpless, and she hated it. What was the point of having this power if she couldn't save her own world?


	20. Chapter 20

"Shine"

Chapter Twenty

By Darthelwig

* * *

*** I own nothing. I'm just having fun. ***

* * *

Pietro spent the next three days watching his sister fall apart. Not the best three days he'd ever lived. She went from guilt and depression to fury at Hydra, then stopped to worry over Carol who was still unconscious, and then the guilt and depression were back. He held her as much as he could, stayed with her while she watched over Carol, and tried to keep his own anxiety from making his sister's worse.

"She's gonna be fine," Natasha said as she stood next to him in the hallway outside of Carol's room in the medical ward. He could see Wanda from here, sleeping in a chair next to Carol's bed. He snorted.

"Which one?" he asked.

"Both," she said. Pietro's eyes flicked to her.

"You have more confidence than I, though my judgment has been faulty lately. I cannot trust it." He tried to ignore Natasha's raised brow, but she just kept _looking_ and he could feel her stare like an itch under his skin. " _What_?"

"Between you and Wanda, there's a lot of blame going around here, but none of it's directed where it belongs. Hydra did this. Don't blame yourself."

"I do not blame myself for that. There was nothing any of us could have done. But I led my sister into heartbreak. I encouraged her to trust Carol and not to worry over the distance between them, and I was wrong. If I could be so wrong about that, what can I trust myself with?" He focused on Wanda's pale face, somber even in sleep. "I am supposed to be her protector," he said, more quietly. "She does not need me to protect her physically most of the time. Wanda is very strong. But I am supposed to help guard her heart, as well. She has suffered enough already."

"Yeah, Steve told me about the stress Wanda's been under here," Nat said, and Pietro met her gaze. "We didn't take all the factors into account."

"We did not tell you," Pietro pointed out.

"We should have _asked_ ," she insisted. "Knowing how something works doesn't necessarily mean you understand how it affects someone on a daily basis. We were both here, both observing. When Wanda's attitude started to deteriorate, we didn't think about the less obvious stressors she could've been dealing with. We went with the obvious." She gestured to Carol.

"You treated her like an unruly child," Pietro said. "Wanda and I are not children, and we have not been for a very long time. You forget this. But you are not the first to do so, and probably not the last," he said ruefully.

" _The point is_ ," Natasha said, "I know what she's been dealing with now, and now that I understand the problem, I can try to fix it."

"And how will you do that?" He scoffed.

"We can be supportive, for one thing. We can't change what people think about her. That'll take a lot of proving herself, whether it's fair or not, that's what it'll take. Believe me, I know how that goes. But it'll go easier if the rest of us are obviously in your corner, and I know we haven't been recently."

Pietro nodded, acknowledging her point. He knew people still doubted Natasha's loyalties, even after everything she had done for SHIELD and the Avengers.

"We can't eliminate contact between Wanda and the SHIELD personnel stationed here. We've already cut off access to the observation deck for all unnecessary personnel, especially while Wanda is there. It keeps most of the gawkers away."

"I understand," he said slowly. Nat nodded.

"We're going to find a way to make more time for Wanda to spend with Carol," she said. There was an odd hesitance in her eyes, but she continued before Pietro could ask her about it, and her next words shocked the look right out of his mind. "We should get Carol security clearance so she can spend some time here."

"You can do that?" he asked.

"Of course," she said with an inelegant snort. "Who do you think I am?" She smirked, and he couldn't help but smile back. "Besides, I don't think that'll be a problem for much longer."

Pietro wanted to question her about that, but his attention was caught by movement from Wanda as she started to wake. She looked around for him, and he was at her side before he even had the conscious thought to go to her.

He did not look to see if Natasha stayed.


	21. Chapter 21

"Shine"

Chapter Twenty-One

By Darthelwig

* * *

*** I own nothing. I'm just having fun. ***

* * *

Carol didn't want to open her eyes. She hurt all over. God, why did it always have to hurt? Her mind raced as she took stock of her injuries. Surprisingly enough, aside from the general aching in her body, she didn't seem to have any. Even her head wasn't splitting this time, which was a huge relief. She felt better than she had since those goons had snatched her up.

And she felt clear-headed. That was important too.

"You can open your eyes. The lights are down."

Carol groaned as she forced herself to do so, blinking as her eyes adjusted, and saw Natasha Romanoff herself sitting at her bedside. Her heart skipped a beat as she wondered what this meant. Was she in trouble? Was she safe? Did Natasha have to be so damn hot? Because that was really distracting. But most importantly...

"Where's Wanda?" It came out more of a croak than words, but Natasha understood her anyway. Because of course she did. She helped Carol to sit up and offered her a cup of water.

"Drink slowly," she ordered. Carol did, but only because she didn't want to risk throwing up in front of Natasha freaking Romanoff.

"Where's Wanda?" she asked again, glad when it came out more clearly this time. She was starting to feel better already, the aches beginning to fade away.

"Now that we know you're okay, she's busy avoiding you," Natasha replied, folding her arms over her chest. "It's stupid, really. I've tried to tell her, but she won't listen to _me_. I figured she would listen to you when you finally woke up."

Carol sighed heavily and rubbed her eyes. "I need to see her."

"First we need to run some tests." Natasha's face was impassive, but her eyes held something more, something strange Carol couldn't name.

"What kind of tests? I feel fine, and I really just want to get out of here."

Natasha hesitated, and _that_ scared Carol more than anything.

"Medical examinations while you were out revealed some... major changes in your body. Your DNA, specifically. We need to know what that means for you."

"You've been running tests on me while I was unconscious?" That was an uncomfortable thought. Almost a violation. Her stomach turned.

"You were out for four days. Yes, we ran tests on you to see what was wrong," Natasha said completely unapologetic. Carol had to admit that was a pretty good reason. She nodded.

"Four days? Really? It doesn't feel like it. I mean, I felt like shit when I woke up, but I'm already feeling so much better now."

"Exactly. That machine they hit you with was powered by an alien artifact we'd been searching for, and that alien technology has had some major effects on your body. Tony and Dr. Cho will be able to explain it to you better than I can, but it was my turn to sit with you. We didn't know how long it would take you to wake up."

"What about the other prisoners?"

"None of them were exposed to the artifact as strongly as you were. They're all fine, relatively speaking."

Carol sighed. "Can we get this over with, then? I just really want to see Wanda. We need to talk."

"Sure, kid. I'll get right on that. Let's not allow your health and safety to interfere with your love life." Nat shook her head, but her lips were tilted up in a smirk.

"Thanks! You're the best!" Carol said with all the false cheer and sarcasm she could muster, making Natasha laugh.

"You and Wanda really do deserve each other," she said.

"I think so too," Carol replied.

* * *

Carol was tired of waiting for Wanda to come to her. Two weeks, and she hadn't seen her girlfriend (because that's what she was, damn it) except in distant glances, and Wanda was always quick to make herself scarce. She knew it was her fault, and it weighed on her heavily, and all she wanted was to make it right, but Wanda sure as hell wasn't making it easy.

It took a bit of help from Natasha (and oh my god would she ever get used to being able to talk to the freaking Black Widow?) to finally corner her skittish prey.

"This place is too damn big. Too many places for you to run and hide," she said, walking into the previously locked and off-limits training room Wanda was currently using. The dummies Wanda was currently lifting and manipulating crashed to the ground as she swung around to face Carol with wide eyes, and Carol winced. "Ouch. Glad that isn't me. Though I probably deserve it."

"You do not," Wanda said, shuffling uncomfortably. "If you wish to use the room, I can leave."

"I'm actually here to talk to you. You're a hard girl to pin down. At one point I thought I might have to break the wall down. I can do that now, apparently."

"Yes. I have seen you training with Tony."

"Yeah, I don't know if he'll ever be done with me. He and Dr. Cho are running test after test, trying to figure out what Hydra did." Carol shrugged. "I feel fine, though."

"You should let them do their tests. You do not know how these changes will affect you later. Please, Carol." Carol's heart hurt at the concern so blatantly pasted on Wanda's face.

"I will. Don't worry," she reassured her. "I actually didn't come here to talk about that, but I'm glad you're not running away," she teased.

"I thought it better if I stayed out of your way," Wanda said simply.

"I don't want you out of my way, Wanda. I don't want you out of my life. God, I'm so sorry for what I said." She moved closer, wanting so badly to be able to just reach out and touch her, to feel Wanda's warmth again.

"What are you saying?" she asked. Carol swallowed thickly. Moment of truth.

"I'm saying I was an idiot for breaking up with you, and I love you so goddamn much. I'm miserable without you. I can't imagine being with anyone else, can't imagine wanting anyone else. You're it for me, Wanda. It's just you. And if you'll have me back, I will do everything in my power to make this work. I'll be more understanding about the whole Avenging thing, because I know I haven't been as supportive as I could have-" She was interrupted by Wanda's lips, as her (maybe now once again?) girlfriend threw herself at her. It was desperate and needy and felt a lot like coming home. She clutched Wanda's slim frame to her own, didn't make even a sound of complaint when Wanda's fingers tangled in her hair and pulled painfully at the strands. Fuck it. This was perfect.

Slowly she became aware of Wanda speaking softly and quickly between kisses. "I am sorry. So sorry. Carol. Please. I am sorry."

Carol pulled back so she could look Wanda in the eye. Tears slipped down Wanda's cheeks, and she brushed them away. "You have nothing to be sorry for, babe. You're so fucking perfect, so good to me. You always have been. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I let you down, always. I know I am not there for you as I should be. I have every reason to be sorry," Wanda confessed softly. Carol shook her head and kissed her girlfriend's face, her eyes, her cheeks, her nose.

"You've got serious obligations, and I know that. You're saving the damn world, babe. Helping people. And I'm so fucking proud of you for that." Carol's voice was tight with emotion and she had to clear her throat to continue. "I need you. In whatever way, and however much I can get, I need you." She cupped Wanda's face, stared into those green eyes that she'd missed so damn much.

"You deserve better," Wanda whispered.

"There's no one better for me than you." Carol kissed her again, deep and slow and sure, and Wanda responded just as she'd hoped she would, melting into her arms. Their kiss went on and on, and Carol could feel that heat starting low in her belly, the want she always felt for her beautiful girl. And Wanda wasn't stopping, was pulling her closer, like she was trying to climb inside her skin.

She didn't want to. God, she didn't want to, but they needed to stop.

"Wanda," she gasped between kisses. "Wanda." Another mind-melting kiss. "Stop." She pulled back. "We have to stop." And oh god, Wanda's lips were swollen and shiny from their kisses, and Carol wanted nothing more than to finish what they started, but... "Not here."

Wanda blinked, and Carol could literally see her brain start to click again. Pride filled her chest. Yeah, she did that to her beautiful, powerful girl.

"What?" Wanda asked, and Carol grinned. Okay, maybe her brain hadn't completely caught up yet. Carol tipped her head towards the observation deck.

"We have an audience."

The way Wanda instantly pulled into herself had Carol more than a little concerned. Where was her girlfriend who delighted in risky sexual behavior? The girl who had sex with her in the back of Carol's car, and in her bed while her family slept a few doors down, and in school for gods sake?

"Wanda?"

"It is nothing." She shook her head. She tried to walk away, head down, but Carol refused to let her.

"Talk to me," she asked, ready to beg if that's what it took. She hated the look of shame and embarrassment on her girlfriend's face.

"They do not like me, most of them. Some think I am a freak. They blame me for what happened in Sokovia, for attacking the Avengers. They are right."

And now Carol was good and pissed.

"Hey, listen to me," she said, tipping Wanda's chin until she looked at her. "You made mistakes. Everyone does. You're not the only one responsible for what happened in Sokovia. A lot of that rests on Tony's shoulders too. And honestly, these people have no room to _judge_ you. They weren't in your shoes. They've never been where you've been." God, Carol wanted to break the faces of every person on this base who ever made Wanda feel bad about herself. She glanced up at the nosy assholes who were still peering down at them unashamedly. She smiled evilly as she had a really, really bad idea.

"You know what?" she asked Wanda, who was looking at her with tears in her eyes. And it was the tears that made up her mind to follow through with her really bad idea. She clenched her fist and it started to glow. "They piss me off," she said, and she punched her fist forward directly at the observation deck, letting off a beam of energy that had people scattering and screaming as a hole was blown through it.

Alarms immediately started to blare. Wanda's eyes were huge, hands clapped over her mouth in shock. Carol grinned at her. "I've got your back, babe."

"They are going to be so angry!"

"Yeah, probably. Totally worth it, though." She pressed a kiss to Wanda's temple just as Natasha entered the training room, followed closely by a horrified Steve.

"What happened?" Steve demanded.

"Sorry. My mistake," Carol spoke up.

"Tell me you had a good reason for that," Nat said. "An assassin, Hydra, maybe a mutant spider?"

"Mutant spider? Really?" Carol asked.

"Stranger things have happened," Nat said simply.

"They were watching us. Making Wanda feel bad." Carol wrapped an arm around Wanda's waist. Her girlfriend seemed to have gone mute.

"So you decided to wreck the room and put people in danger?" Steve said angrily.

"I decided to protect my girlfriend, since no one else is," Carol challenged. Steve wiped a hand over his face and sighed. "Look," Carol pointed. "Its a small hole. They're fine. I didn't kill or maim anyone." People had cleared out of the area, for the most part.

"You can't just attack people!" Steve yelled.

"Sorry?" Carol wasn't sorry at all. It was about time she protected Wanda like Wanda had always protected her. She could do that now. If a couple of judgmental assholes got scared shitless during the process, she couldn't care less.

"Just...go. We'll talk about this later." Steve sighed again, and Carol took the opportunity to lead Wanda away. She heard Steve mutter behind her. "These girls are gonna be the death of me."

She wasn't exactly sure where Wanda's room was, so she led her mute and pliant girlfriend to her own, shutting the door behind them. And suddenly Wanda was in her arms, kissing her desperately, ripping at Carol's clothes in her haste to get them off her.

"Fuck," Carol gasped as Wanda nipped at her neck. It was a struggle to get out of their clothes when neither of them wanted to stop touching, but they managed, and they tumbled onto the bed together in a tangle of limbs and desire. "Fuck, Wanda. You sure?" she asked breathlessly.

"You were amazing," Wanda said with a mischievous smile, "and I love you. Please."

That was all Carol needed to hear. She pulled Wanda into a hot, dirty kiss, moaning at the taste of her. Wanda pressed her down into the bed, fingers unerringly moving to her core and coating themselves in her slick juices, then running circles around her clit. Carol spread her legs wide, inviting Wanda to do whatever she wanted, and was rewarded with a thumb pressed to her clit while Wanda sank two fingers into her. Carol almost came right then and there, it felt so good. Her girlfriend knew just how to touch her.

Wanda kept kissing her, swallowing the sounds she was making. Carol's hips rocked upwards as Wanda fucked her, fingers crooked so they brushed over that special spot inside of Carol that made her see stars.

"Come for me, Carol," Wanda breathed into her lips. "I wish to see you." Wanda slipped another finger inside her, closed her teeth on Carol's nipple, and Carol was suddenly riding the wave of her orgasm, mindless with it. She jerked violently under her girlfriend's ministrations, and it was Wanda's voice that centered her, telling her how beautiful she was, and how loved.

"Oh god," Carol said shakily. Wanda nuzzled into her neck as she gently stroked Carol's pussy soothingly. "God, I missed you."

"I am not done with you yet," Wanda said, dropping a kiss to her lips. Carol thought about protesting for all of two seconds, saying she wanted to make Wanda feel good too, but her girlfriend was kissing her way down her body and she was so ready for this. Achingly so. _Later_ , she told herself. _You'll get your chance_.

And then Wanda spread her folds and licked into her, and Carol put all thought aside.


	22. Chapter 22

"Shine"

Chapter Twenty-Two

By Darthelwig

* * *

*** I own nothing. I'm just having fun. ***

* * *

Wanda spent the rest of the day naked in Carol's bed, and it went a long way to healing the hurt that had eaten her up all this time. She had her lover back, and she felt strong for the first time in ages.

"Are you serious about us working this out?" she asked, her head on Carol's chest so she could listen to her heartbeat. The steady rhythm soothed her.

"Dead serious. I don't wanna be without you again, whatever it takes," Carol replied. "You've ruined me for anyone else." There was a smile in her voice, and Wanda shifted so she could see her.

"Is that right?"

"I tried moving on. It didn't work very well. All I could think about was you," Carol said seriously. Wanda hummed.

"But you tried," she said. Carol flushed, looking away, but Wanda swung her leg over her, straddled Carol and leaned down to pull her face forward. "Where did she touch you?"

"She kissed me." Carol swallowed hard, looking guilty. "And she had her hands under my shirt. She touched my breasts, my sides, my stomach."

Wanda ran her fingers over Carol's stomach, up her sides and then down over her breasts, squeezing the soft mounds. "These are mine," she said roughly. "This is all mine," she repeated as she again skimmed her hands over Carol's body. She leaned forward to take Carol's mouth in a searing kiss. "Your sweet mouth is all for me."

Carol sucked in a shaky breath. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure Monica got the point when I told her I was still in love with you."

Wanda stilled, looking down at Carol with an unreadable expression on her face. "Monica, the one who is your friend?" she asked. Carol nodded.

"Not sure she still wants to be friends after that, though," she replied. Wanda wondered how much she should say, but if they were going to be together, she couldn't hold back. Carol needed to know everything.

"I do not like her," Wanda admitted.

"What? Why?" Carol seemed totally surprised, and Wanda smiled ruefully

"Because she has wanted you from the beginning. Because she interrupted us and lied when she said she was sorry. Because given half a chance, she would try to take you from me."

"She can't," Carol reassured her, pulling Wanda in for another kiss. "We belong together. The only one I want is you."

"And I am yours for as long as you want me," Wanda told her, smiling when Carol lovingly cupped her face.

"Then you're gonna be stuck with me for a real long time," she said. Wanda couldn't help but laugh. Her body felt lighter than it had in months, a bubble of happiness warm and safe in her chest.

"There are worse fates," she said before dipping her head for another kiss.


	23. Chapter 23

"Shine"

Chapter Twenty-Three

By Darthelwig

* * *

*** I own nothing. I'm just having fun. ***

* * *

Pietro couldn't help but laugh when he saw the damage Carol had done to the observation deck. Served the bastards right. He hoped they learned their lessons.

Captain Rogers, however, looked not so great, like he'd spent the entire day on damage control. He looked exhausted, put-upon, irritable... he was apparently trying to relax now, sitting with Natasha in the living area, and Pietro was trying his best not to laugh at the man to his face, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. Especially with Natasha there too, teasing Steve about the whole situation.

"She can't just go around destroying things, Nat!"

"Of course not. But what are we going to do? You want to lock her up? Because that's what it'll come to, and we don't have a cell that could hold her. Tony said he hasn't even begun to explore her limits yet."

"I don't want to lock her up, but I'm gonna have to have a talk with her." Steve sighed.

"You know what we need to do, Steve. We already talked about this." Now Pietro's interest was truly piqued. He definitely wanted to hear more.

"Talked about what?" Carol asked, walking into the room with her arm around Wanda's waist. They looked good. Glowing, in fact, and it made him happier than he could say to see it. He grinned and leaned back into the couch.

"You finally done fucking my sister?" he asked loudly. "About time." Carol glared at him, but the effect was ruined by the grin she couldn't hold back. Wanda just rolled her eyes and squeezed Carol's hand where it sat on her hip.

"We were talking about you, actually," Nat said. "Your future."

Carol immediately sobered, and Wanda led her to the couch, where Pietro made room for them. He took his sister's hand. She was trembling, but her grip was strong, and Pietro pressed a kiss to the back of her hand.

"You've got some... amazing powers now. There are things we still don't understand about the changes you've gone through. Wanda and Pietro are still being studied as well, but what happened to you is pretty different, and there are questions we need answers to." Nat leaned forward and took a deep breath. "We need you to stay here," she said.

"What about school?" Carol asked. "It's gonna take me forever to catch up, and I don't even know how the team is gonna react to me being gone so long already."

"You can't go back right now," Steve said, an apology clearly written on his face. "With your powers being so unknown, it's not safe yet. And honestly, we don't know if Hydra is still after you. They could show up the minute we let you go."

Carol was gaping, speechless, and sadness swelled in Pietro's heart. Fucking Hydra.

"When can I go back?" she asked.

"We're not sure yet," Nat said. "We'd actually like to offer you a place here, with the team. We think you'd be a great addition. Providing you can control your impulses," she added. Pietro smirked. He definitely approved of Carol's 'impulses.' Wanda was stiff next to him, quiet and tense.

Carol turned to his sister, eyes questioning, and Wanda smiled at her.

"Do you want to be an Avenger with me?" Wanda asked. Carol's smile was bright like the sun. She nodded towards Steve and Natasha.

"I don't know. Do you think they can keep up with us?" she asked teasingly. Pietro scoffed, making Carol laugh.

"Is this what you want?" Wanda brought Carol's gaze back to her. "You do not have to do this." Carol tipped her forehead against Wanda's.

"All I wanted was to live my life on my terms and not have to hide who I am anymore. I wanted to experience the world. I can do that just as easily from here," she said. "I'll go wherever you go, babe. I'm with you." They stayed like that, breathing the same air, and Pietro thought it was the most sickeningly sweet thing he'd ever seen. He loved it.

"Is that a yes?" Steve asked. Carol turned to him and nodded.

"I'm in," she said.


	24. Chapter 24

"Shine"

Chapter Twenty-Four

By Darthelwig

* * *

*** I own nothing. I'm just having fun. ***

* * *

Wanda dodged a laser blast and propelled Steve through the air to the top of the building. It was a strain to maintain that level of control long enough to get him up there safely, but she managed, and let herself feel pride in how well her training was paying off.

Suddenly Carol was blowing something up behind her, and she twisted around to see a handful of Hydra soldiers who'd been sneaking up on her now laid flat and unconscious.

Carol landed next to her and grinned. "Better be careful, babe. Don't get distracted."

Wanda smiled evilly and pulled Carol close. "I will show you distracted," she said before kissing her girlfriend deeply, both of them getting lost in the moment.

Pietro raced up to them and tapped Carol's shoulder to interrupt.

"Fight now, fuck later," he said with a sly grin and a wink, and then he was gone again.

" _Yeah, you know we can hear you through the coms, right?_ " Sam asked. Wanda didn't think she'd ever blushed so hard in her life. Carol looked sufficiently chastised as well, but leaned in to give her another quick kiss anyway.

"Be careful, babe," she told Wanda.

"Be careful, my love," Wanda replied.

Carol left her, soaring back into the sky, and Wanda watched her go before turning her attention back to the battle at hand.

" _Watch out for the tank, Steve honey,_ " Nat said in her ear.

" _Damn it, Romanoff_ ," Steve answered.

" _Hey Steve! Comin' atcha, baby doll_ ," Sam called out.

" _Really? Are we doing this now?_ " Steve asked, sounding exasperated.

" _You have a better time in mind?_ " Natasha purred. Steve spluttered.

Wanda listened to their voices, their teasing. This was their family now. She and Pietro had finally managed to find another home, a place to belong.

She looked up into the sky at her beautiful girlfriend, who shone even brighter than the sun. She was dazzling. Breathtaking. And she knew how lucky she was to have her. She was lucky in so many ways.

" _You guys are gonna be the death of me,_ " Steve said.

Wanda threw her head back and laughed.


End file.
